OSCE Foreign Ministers Meet in Serbia

The OSCE Ministerial Council meeting on Thursday and Friday in Belgrade will be the culmination of Serbia's one-year chairmanship of the international security body.

Serbia's Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, who is the 2015 OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, said critical issues such as the Ukraine situation, the refugee crisis and terrorism would be discussed.

"The ministers of foreign affairs of Russia and Turkey will also meet in a situation in which there is no communication between the two sides," Dacic said.

Responding to the Russian OSCE ambassador's demand for the organisation to condemn the recent downing of a Russian fighter jet as Turkish aggression, Dacic said that the issue would certainly be discussed, but noted that any decision required a consensus among members.

Nearly 1,500 officials from the 57 OSCE member states and 11 partner countries are expected to attend, among them US Secretary of State John Kerry and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

"So many delegations in attendance are an acknowledgement to Serbia that it has chaired the organization constructively, and also a recognition to the OSCE's agenda and approach in difficult times," OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier told a press conference on Tuesday.

"Serbia has been a strong leader [during its one-year chairmanship], navigating the difficult waters," he added.

Dacic said meanwhile that security will be at the highest level in view of recent terror attacks in Europe.

The Ministerial Council is the central decision-making and governing body of the OSCE.

The meeting provides the foreign ministers of the 57 OSCE states an opportunity to review the organization's activities over the past year and offer national viewpoints on security...