Minister Dacic participated in an online meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council

Full statement by Minister Dacic reads as follows:

"Esteemed Chairman,
Excellencies,
Esteemed colleagues,

At the beginning of my statement, I would like to express my gratitude to the Republic of North Macedonia and Minister Osmani for the initiative to organize this important meeting.

Unfortunately, for a number of years we have been witnessing growing mistrust, divisions being incited and groups formed, which culminated in an atmosphere of absence of meaningful dialogue among the participating States and in mutual enmity. The erosion of all forms of cooperation, which has arisen as a result, takes us back to some past times, which we thought were far behind us.

The functioning of the OSCE has been more difficult than ever before, especially after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. We are facing a deep institutional crisis, bearing in mind that the Organization is without a budget for the second year in a row and without a decision on the Chairmanship for 2024. In addition, it is a big question whether an agreement will be reached on the election of the Secretary General and heads of independent institutions. In the last two years, we have not been able to agree on a single key issue for the functioning of this Organization, so I believe it is high time to take decisive and concrete steps to preserve it.

In the past, we achieved exceptional results in strengthening comprehensive security, while using none other than the OSCE as a platform for open and substantive dialogue. We must not forget its positive contribution, as well as the contribution of field missions, to the quality of life of ordinary people, because as it is well defined by the motto of the Chairmanship of the Republic of North Macedonia - "It's about people".

I believe that we all fully agree that we need the OSCE as an Organization and that we need to do everything to preserve it and make it effective. In this context, I would like to emphasize that the Republic of Serbia, as before, will remain a committed partner, and that we will continue to strongly support its work and make our full contribution.

As the 2015 OSCE Chairman, I am aware of the complexity of the situation, but I also believe that we need to be responsible and pragmatic and, if necessary, consider some "out of the box" solutions, of course while respecting the principles of our organization and its rules of procedure, as well as reaffirming adherence to the Helsinki Final Act and the rule of consensus as a way of decision-making.

The key successes of our Organization, whose fiftieth anniversary we should be celebrating in 2025 in Helsinki, would not have been possible without the political will to achieve them, very often in conditions that were hardly favourable, but also the willingness to make compromises. The time has come for us, for the sake of the Organization's survival, to return to such an approach and try to adopt the necessary decisions through sincere dialogue.

If we agree that the Organization is in crisis, perhaps we could consider making at least some provisional decisions, which would ensure that the OSCE functions smoothly. I believe that the upcoming fiftieth anniversary will be, inter alia, an opportunity for a more comprehensive and thorough discussion of activities carried out so far, and for a potential agreement on future activity.

In conclusion, I would like to thank, once again, our neighbour, the Republic of North Macedonia, and Minister Osmani for their efforts in finding a solution."