“We are grateful to the Austrian Presidency for the efforts made through the year to re-establish a climate of confidence and cooperation among all 57 OSCE Participating States. We intend to follow up on their action, in line with the spirit of Helsinki,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Angelino Alfano, told his Austrian colleague and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Sebastian Kurz, whom he met on the fringes of the OSCE Ministerial meeting to formalize the handover of the Organisation’s Presidency, which Italy will officially hold as of 1 January 2018.
Minister Alfano outlined the priorities of the forthcoming Italian Presidency: “The Ukrainian crisis and frozen conflicts, the migration and refugee crises and greater focus on the challenges coming from the South and from the Mediterranean, will be at the top of our agenda,” affirmed the Foreign Minister, announcing that: “On next 11 January I will be back in Vienna to present the agenda of the Italian Presidency to the Permanent Council.”
Alfano and Kurz also discussed European issues, also in view of the EU rotating presidency that Austria will hold in the second semester of 2018, and bilateral cooperation.
