Statement by H.E. Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti

Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations

Security Council 

Briefing by the Chairman-in-Office of the 

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

New York, 5 February 2010

"Mr. President,

We are honoured to welcome in the Council today the Secretary of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, H. E. Mr. Kanat Saudabayev. I thank him for his presentation and I salute Kazakhstan for assuming the Chairmanship of such important organization.

As early as last month, in its first Presidential Statement of 2010, the Security Council reiterated the importance of cooperation between the United Nations and regional and sub-regional organizations. The collaboration between the UN and OSCE is a concrete example of a partnership that has helped to strengthen international peace and security.

We commend the work carried out by the OSCE, particularly its activities in promoting political dialogue and strengthening national capacities in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

We also note the OSCE efforts in enhancing the capacity of Afghanistan to manage its borders with its Central Asian neighbours. We appreciate and encourage the close coordination of OSCE with UNAMA.

We also acknowledge the role played by the OSCE Conflict Prevention Center in early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation. It is critical that the cooperation between the UN and organizations such as OSCE extend to all phases of a conflict.

We welcome the priorities outlined by Kazakhstan for its OSCE Chairmanship. We note, in particular, the importance attached to a balanced approach to all OSCE baskets - political and military, economic, environmental, and human - with a view to addressing not only the symptoms, but also the causes of security-related problems.

We look forward to the continued cooperation between the United Nations and the OSCE in the maintenance of international peace and security.

We wish Kazakhstan a very successful Chairmanship.

Thank you".