Dacic: Serbia to officially head OSCE as of January 15

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic stated on Monday that the first conference of the OSCE Permanent Council will be held on January 15, and added that this will mark the official beginning of the country's chairmanship in the organisation.

The first session of the OSCE Permanent Council will be held on January 15, Dacic told the regular monthly media conference and added that he would be chairing the session. This will mark the official beginning of Serbia's chairmanship in OSCE, he said.

Dacic announced that on this occasion, he will have a series of bilateral meetings with heads of delegations of OSCE member countries and added that he will host the official reception to mark the beginning of the chairmanship. The meeting with all heads of OSCE missions has also been included in the protocol, as well as the gathering with representatives and independent bodies of the organisation.

Serbia will have a very serious duty in striving to act as a credible chair trusted by all relevant sides which will be implementing measures and steps toward de-escalation of conflicts and clashes in the area from Vladivostok to Vancouver, Dacic said.

He recalled that the year of 2015 as the year of Serbia's OSCE chairmanship would be even more important as it will also mark the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act.

Dacic also noted that OSCE has several missions and is present in 14 countries in various modes.

He also announced that Serbia would set up a working group in charge of preparations for the forthcoming OSCE Ministerial Council meeting due to take place in Belgrade on December 3-4, 2015, which will gather 57 ministers of foreign affairs of OSCE member countries and...