OSCE Secretary General says stability in Georgia crucial for regional security

Feridun Sinirlioğlu, the Secretary General of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, on Tuesday said the stability in Georgia was of vital importance not only for the Georgian people but also for the broader interests of the region, for establishing security and stability.

In his remarks following his meeting with the Georgian Foreign Minister, Sinirlioğlu noted that the OSCE had been working with Georgia for decades.

“Thank you, Madam Minister. I appreciate your warm hospitality. I am very pleased to be in Tbilisi today. This is my first official visit to Georgia as OSCE Secretary General. I am committed to serving the interests of all member states of our organisation. I want to emphasise that the OSCE is deeply engaged and supportive of Georgia and of all the countries in this region”, the Secretary General said.

Sinirlioğlu further highlighted the importance of mechanisms such as the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM), which had been in place for 16 years.

“The OSCE is an organisation that has proven the importance of maintaining dialogue, especially in regions and between countries experiencing conflict. We possess a wide range of mediation tools that we use in such cases and continuously strive to engage in conflict resolution”, he noted.

“Stability in Georgia is critically important - not only for the Georgian people but also for the region’s overall interests, for ensuring security and peace. We have worked alongside Georgia for decades, and I want to once again underscore that we are committed to supporting the country with every tool available to us in order to strengthen security in every possible way”, Sinirlioğlu concluded.