Address by Minister Dion at the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Speech

December 3, 2015 - Belgrade, Serbia

Check Against Delivery. This speech has been translated in accordance with the official languages policy and edited for posting and distribution in accordance with the Government of Canada’s communications policy.

Allow me first to express the condolences of the Canadian people to the American people following yesterday’s deadly shooting in California.

Starting from our conviction about the important role of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe [OSCE], I will focus my intervention on our joint fight against terrorism, the situation in Ukraine and the impact of climate change.

As we face challenges to European security unprecedented since the end of the Cold War, the OSCE remains a vital forum for dialogue and cooperation, one in which disputes and challenges can and must be aired openly.

Thanks to its comprehensive approach to security with human rights at its core, the OSCE is uniquely positioned to promote inclusive governance, pluralism and respect for diversity.

As the three OSCE autonomous institutions dealing with national minorities, freedom of the media and democratic institutions face pressure from some participating states for fulfilling their mandates, their pioneering work deserves our support more than ever. One example among many: the initiative of Dunja Mijatović to bring together Russian and Ukrainian journalists to address freedom of the media issues in conflict situations. This is at the core of the OSCE’s role and raison d’être.

Another challenge that we must confront with resolve and unity is terrorism.

We are gathering today just as some participating states are recovering from deadly terrorist attacks.

The international community has different tools to act against this scourge: UN Security Council resolution 2178 on foreign fighters, which Canada co-sponsored; the UN Secretary-General’s upcoming Preventing Violent Extremism Strategy, the Global Counterterrorism Forum, the anti-Islamic State of Iraq and Syria coalition and the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism process. The OSCE has its own role to play in reinforcing these efforts by helping to prevent radicalization and violent extremism through an approach centred on respect for human rights, promotion of diversity as a strength and inclusiveness.

Our countries are also challenged to effectively and humanely respond to one of the largest refugee and migration crises since the Second World War. Canada must and will do its share, and we recently committed to welcoming 25,000 Syrian refugees, following a rigorous screening process, confident that they will become good Canadians. We have also made a new $100-million contribution to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The events of concern at the Turkish-Syrian border remind us of the importance of risk prevention and management mechanisms and of the need to avoid provocations. In this context, Canada hopes that the participating states will strongly commit to modernizing the Vienna Document in 2016, particularly by adopting enhanced provisions to reduce the risk of military incidents through increased transparency measures. After all, the Vienna Document is an OSCE document we must adapt to the circumstances.

I will now talk about Ukraine.

The OSCE’s role as a platform for dialogue and cooperation is being overstrained by Russian interference in Ukraine. For the first time since the Second World War, a state has tried to redraw European borders by force, in breach of international law. I firmly reiterate that Canada does not recognize Russia’s illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

We would love to re-establish friendly relations with Russia, but we cannot accept its attempts to control its neighbours.

We also want to remind all Minsk agreement signatories of their obligations, including the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the line of contact, the release of hostages and prisoners and the holding of local elections.

We call on Russia and the illegal armed groups it supports to cease their destabilizing activities and to work toward a peaceful and sustainable resolution to the conflict with due regard for Ukraine’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

Through its Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, the OSCE continues to play a key role in assessing the implementation of the ceasefire. Canada has committed to providing up to 25 observers. We support the plans to gradually increase the Mission’s size to 800 observers. In this respect, Canada is considering contributing additional staff.

In closing, I would like to discuss the impact of climate change on the security of our states.

Climate change is a global issue that has a direct impact on the economy, on development and, as we are becoming increasingly aware, on security. Climate change effects exacerbate existing situations of instability and conflict in fragile states. Climate change can also help encourage migration. This is especially true when natural disasters increase in intensity and frequency, whether we are talking about desertification in the Sahel or recurring floods like those the Balkans experienced last summer.

In this context, a fair and effective international agreement on climate change must emerge from the ongoing negotiations in Paris. With that goal in mind, Canada has made the fight against climate change a priority, both in terms of reducing its emissions and in terms of funding. To that effect, Canada recently announced a commitment of $2.65 billion over five years in mitigation and adaptation funding internationally.

The Serbian OSCE chairmanship is coming to an end, and you can be proud of the work that has been done. The challenges are enormous, and we must continue to make progress.

It will soon be Germany’s turn to take over, just after the country celebrated the 20th anniversary of its reunification. As that is one of the happiest events in recent history, we should draw inspiration from it in the current context. I know that Germany will spare no effort in 2016 to restore peace, security and confidence across the European continent based on the principles we hold dear, which have already been mentioned this morning, and I assure Germany of Canada’s full support.

Thank you.

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