Dacic: OSCE can contribute to solution for Ukrainian crisis

BASEL - The Ukrainian crisis poses a serious threat to regional stability and security in Europe, and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) can make an efficient contribution to addressing the challenges emanating from the crisis, Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Thursday.

"Failure to prevent the escalation of this crisis showed the necessity of a much more intensive political engagement among participating States, particularly in our work to develop effective tools of conflict prevention," Dacic said at the 21st meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Basel.

This crisis has already taken its toll with too many lives lost, Dacic said at the meeting, which ends Switzerland's OSCE chairmanship.

"From the very beginning of this crisis, Serbia has been advocating a peaceful resolution and expressing the support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," he said.

"At this point, it is important that we all demonstrate awareness and sense of responsibility in order to prevent further aggravation of the situation and strengthen the overall efforts for the peaceful resolution," said the Serbian foreign minister, whose country is set to assume the OSCE chairmanship.

"When we put forward our bid for consecutive OSCE Chairmanships three years ago, we could not foresee that in 2014 the OSCE region will be facing one of the biggest crises since the end of the Cold War", Dacic said.

"The situation in and around Ukraine continues to pose a serious threat for the stability of the region, but also has an impact in the broader context of the European and global security," Dacic warned.

Failure to prevent the escalation...