OSCE Ministerial Council: Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter underlines the importance of arms control for boosting confidence and security
Bern, 08.12.2016 - At the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Hamburg, Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter stressed that the revival of conventional arms control in Europe is pivotal to improving security for everyone. As a bridge-builder, Switzerland intends to play an active role in shaping a dialogue to this end.
Conventional arms control, comprising arms limitation, transparency, risk-avoidance and confidence-building measures, is an integral part of cooperative security in Europe. However, the conventional arms control regime set up in the 1990s has come under pressure owing to the tense security situation. Furthermore, in Switzerland's view it needs to be adapted to new politico-military developments and challenges.
Switzerland therefore backs Germany's initiative to revive the dialogue on arms control. Accordingly, Mr Burkhalter recently co-signed a joint declaration by 14 foreign ministers aimed at strengthening conventional arms control in Europe.
This dialogue was urgently needed because the crisis in cooperative security was also a crisis in arms control, Mr Burkhalter told the OSCE Ministerial Council in Hamburg. Against the backdrop of present tensions, the weakening of the current arms control regime constituted an additional risk, he said. For this reason, conventional arms control needed to become a political priority once again, he added. Switzerland would take an active part in the dialogue on arms control and, as a neutral state that is a member of neither NATO nor the EU, it would seize any bridge-building opportunities that arose.
During the Ministerial Council meeting, at the invitation of German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the head of the FDFA and his French counterpart, Jean-Marc Ayrault, will open a special session on this topic.
The system of conventional arms control and confidence and security-building measures that has existed in Europe since the end of the Cold War rests on three pillars: the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty), the Vienna Document on confidence and security-building measures and the Open Skies Treaty. Switzerland is only a full participant in the Vienna Document regime. At the OSCE in Vienna it is coordinating the negotiations on this document.
Switzerland's commitment to arms control is one of the priorities set out in its Foreign Policy Strategy 2016–19 to strengthen international security.
Comprehensive dialogue on core European security issues
In addition to reviving arms control, which in Switzerland's view also entails consistently applying and updating the Vienna Document on confidence and security-building measures, Mr Burkhalter will also advocate the launch of a comprehensive dialogue on core European security issues. Mr Burkhalter stressed the need for such a structured dialogue back in 2014, when he was the OSCE chairman-in-office.
Given the deteriorating security situation in Europe, Mr Burkhalter believes that more political dialogue and an effective OSCE are essential. He will also express this view at the plenary debate in the Ministerial Council, at various special sessions and at bilateral meetings with colleagues in Hamburg.
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