OSCE
http://www.osce.org
Ministerial Council 2015
http://www.osce.org/oscemc15
Who We Are
http://www.osce.org/whatistheosce
The OSCE has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, and human aspects. It therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, human rights, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counter-terrorism and economic and environmental activities. All 57 participating States enjoy equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis.
OSCE Ministerial Council to meet in Belgrade, Serbia, on 3-4 December, media accreditation now open
http://www.osce.org/cio/193116
BELGRADE, 19 October 2015 – The 22st OSCE Ministerial Council will take place on 3 and 4 December 2015 in Belgrade, Serbia.
The event will be held at the invitation of the 2015 OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić.
The Ministerial Council is the central decision-making and governing body of the OSCE. The meeting, held annually, provides the foreign ministers of the 57 OSCE participating States an opportunity to review and assess the Organization's activities during the past year and offer national viewpoints on security matters.
Journalists are invited to cover the event, which will be held at the Kombank Arena, located at Bulevar Arsenija Čarnojevića 58, 11070 Belgrade, Serbia. The official website of the Kombank Arena is http://www.kombankarena.rs/.
Advance accreditation of media representatives is mandatory. Accreditation takes place on a self-registration basis via a dedicated online registration platform available at: www.mc2015.rs
The deadline for registration is close of business on Sunday, 14 November 2015.
Please note that journalists accredited to OSCE locations still need special accreditation for the Ministerial Council.
Nationals of the following OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation require a visa for entry to Serbia: Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Visa applicants are encouraged to submit their applications in order to ensure the timely processing of all visas.
Detailed information about media facilities, instructions for accreditation, booking of hotels and visa application procedure is available in the media information circular.
Contacts
Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia
What's it all about?
From 3 to 4 December 2015, OSCE Foreign Ministers will convene in Belgrade, Serbia, for the annual Ministerial Council, to consider issues relevant to the organization and take the appropriate decisions.
OSCE Ministerial Council
The Ministerial Council was established by the Charter of Paris for a New Europe (1990) under the original name of "Council of Ministers for Foreign Affairs". The 1992 Helsinki Document reaffirmed its role as the central decision-making and governing body of the OSCE and gave it more extensive powers in the field of conflict prevention and crisis management. The 1994 Budapest Document renamed it "Ministerial Council" and fully confirmed its pivotal political role.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE OSCE MINISTERIAL COUNCIL
Bringing together foreign ministers and delegations from the 57 OSCE participating States, the two-day Council occurs near the end of every year and in the final stages of each chairmanship. It acts as the main central decision-making and governing body in the period between OSCE summits and provides a rare opportunity for participating States and 11 Partners for Co-operation to engage in high-level multilateral and bilateral talks on their current security relations and concerns.
This page will be updated as more information becomes available. Follow the discussion online on Twitter @Serbia2015OSCE and @OSCE or using #OSCEMC15 hashtag.
Participating States
http://www.osce.org/states
The Organization comprises 57 participating States that span the globe, encompassing three continents - North America, Europe and Asia - and more than a billion people.
The OSCE has 57 participating States from Europe, Central Asia and North America: Albania Austria Belgium Canada Czech Republic Finland Germany Hungary Italy Latvia Luxembourg Monaco Norway Romania Serbia Spain Tajikistan Turkmenistan United States Andorra Azerbaijan Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia Denmark France Greece Iceland Kazakhstan Liechtenstein Malta Montenegro Poland Russian Federation Slovakia Sweden the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Ukraine Uzbekistan Armenia Belarus Bulgaria Cyprus Estonia Georgia Holy See Ireland Kyrgyzstan Lithuania Moldova Mongolia Netherlands Portugal San Marino Slovenia Switzerland Turkey United Kingdom
Partners for Co-operation
http://www.osce.org/who/84
The OSCE maintains special relations with 11 countries in the Mediterranean Region, Asia and Australia.
The OSCE maintains special relations with 11 countries, which are known as Partners for Co-operation. Six of them are in the Mediterranean region, and four are in Asia, in addition to Australia.
Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation
The OSCE maintains special relations with the following six Mediterranean countries: Algeria Egypt Israel Jordan Morocco Tunisia
Asian Partners for Co-operation
Starting from the early 1990s, formal relations were also initiated with the following Asian countries: Japan (1992) South Korea (1994) Thailand (2000) Afghanistan (2003)