OSCE: EU Statement in response to SACEUR General James L. Jones in the Permanent Council

Finnish Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Permanent Council No. 625
14 September 2006

The European Union warmly welcomes NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General James L. Jones and thanks him for his address to the Permanent Council.  NATO, the OSCE and the EU share the same aims in countering threats to security. They all provide in their own ways an important contribution to peace and security.

NATO, the OSCE and the European Union are all contributing to the security, stability and the reconstruction of Kosovo.  The European Union supports NATO´s engagement in Afghanistan under UN mandate. The role of NATO in Afghanistan, a Partner for Co-operation of the OSCE, is crucial not only for the stability and peaceful development of the country but also for the security and stability of the whole OSCE area.  Projects carried out by the OSCE in the region bordering  Afghanistan, for instance the SALW and Stockpiles projects in Tajikistan support our common aims.

The European Union highlights the importance of the commendable efforts of the Government of Afghanistan and the Afghan people in the rehabilitation and development process of the country, assisted by the international community.

The work done in Afghanistan show the value of good working relations and the importance of co-operation between organizations in the field, under the co-ordination of the UN. We also stress the importance of  continuing efforts to improve civil-military co-ordination in crisis management operations.  

We thank General Jones again for his presentation and wish him success. 

The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia, as well as the EFTA country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area align themselves with this statement.

* Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process