Eröffnung der jährlichen Sicherheitsüberprüfungskonferenz der OSZE – «Wagen wir es zu antizipieren» (en)

Secretary General,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Diplomacy becomes essential when it appears impossible.

That conviction has been driving Switzerland's chairpersonship of the OSCE for the past six months.

Not because dialogue would be easy, but for the very reason that it has become difficult.

Not because a consensus might be within reach, but because, one day, we will have to re-lay the foundations that allow it to be rebuilt.

Today, halfway through our chairpersonship, this conference gives us the chance to face reality head-on,
and to ask ourselves a simple question:

What else can the OSCE do for European security?

Where do we stand?

European security is undergoing its deepest crisis since the end of the Cold War. Russia’s war against Ukraine continues to rage.

Switzerland condemns the war and the suffering it is inflicting on the Ukrainian people in the strongest possible terms.

At the same time, an even greater reality is emerging:

·       confidence has collapsed,

·       arms control mechanisms have weakened,

·       military risks are growing, and

·       tensions are mounting.

Amid all of this, the confrontational mindsets that many thought a thing of the past have returned.

Ladies and gentlemen, Excellencies

That's a clear-sighted realisation – but it is not a foregone conclusion.

If European history teaches us one thing, it is that the most dangerous of times are not those of disagreement,

but those in which the channels of communication break down.

Why the OSCE still matters

In the light of current events, some are questioning the value of our organisation.

They are justified in asking.

My answer is simple.

The OSCE was never designed for times when we all agree.
It was created specifically for times when we are at odds with each other.

The Helsinki Accords were not signed between friends,
but between adversaries.

Their aim was not to smooth over the differences.
It was to prevent those differences getting out of hand.

To create transparency, to mitigate risks,
and to keep the parties on speaking terms when all else fails.

Fifty years on, this mission remains surprisingly pertinent.

·       After all, who else can bring 57 states together around the same table?

·       Who still provides a space where everyone can have their say?

·       Who still has the resources specifically designed to enhance military transparency and lower the risk of escalation?

The OSCE.

To those who continue to doubt its relevance in the here and now, I would simply say:

if confrontation has returned to Europe,
so too has the reason we need the OSCE.

Some of our instruments do need updating.

Certain methods need adapting.

But their raison d’être remains unchanged.

We will be examining these issues at our third conference, on the third and fourth of this September in Bern.

What we do

Ladies and gentlemen,

preserving the OSCE isn't just about defending its value. It also requires practical work.

After several years of deadlock, we have, together, now been able to adopt the 2026 budget.

While that does not solve all our problems,
it allows our organisation to function
and to fulfil its remit.

It also sends the important message that, even in times of discord, our 57 participating States remain capable of reaching a consensus.

That is no small feat. In fact, it is a sign of institutional resilience.

We have also undertaken the reforms needed to adapt our organisation to today's challenges, both at headquarters and in our field operations.

I have personally visited the OSCE missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Moldova, and I will be travelling to Central Asia and the South Caucasus before the end of the year.

I have seen for myself that the OSCE’s credibility is measured by more than simply where it is based.
Most important of all is its ability to take action on the ground.

Reflecting this same belief, in its capacity as Chair Switzerland visited both Ukraine and Russia as early as February of this year.

We did so because we believe that dialogue, however difficult, is still preferable to monologues delivered in parallel, which generate neither trust nor solutions.

Ultimately, the Swiss chairpersonship is pursuing the goal that I mentioned right at the start of our term of office. That is to ensure that the OSCE is primed for further progress towards peace when the political circumstances allow.

We don’t know when that moment will come,

but we know that it would be irresponsible not to prepare for it while we wait.

That is why we are not simply sitting back.

Alongside the Secretary General and the competent frameworks, we are actively preparing the OSCE to fulfil the responsibilities of its mandate in their entirety as soon as the political conditions permit.

The OSCE must be ready when that window of opportunity opens.

And it will be ready.

I would like to offer my warmest thanks to the Secretary General – thank you, Feridun – and to the heads of the OSCE’s autonomous institutions and their teams for their commitment, their professionalism and the remarkable work they do every day.

What do we need to prepare?

Naturally we must handle the crises of today,

but we must also lay the groundwork for the security of tomorrow.

At the same time, the world is changing faster than ever.

·       In Ukraine, drones have transformed the battlefield.

·       In cyberspace, hybrid attacks are targeting our institutions and critical infrastructures.

·       AI is already changing the way armed conflicts are planned, conducted and perceived.

·       Meanwhile, quantum technologies are promising revolutionary advances.

So the question is no longer whether these changes will happen, because they are already with us.

The real question is who will make the rules? Will it be:

·       the engineers,

·       the business sector,

·       or the politicians?

Innovation no longer comes from governments alone,
yet political responsibility for that innovation remains in the hands of those governments.

That is why we need to align the worlds of innovation and policy-making more closely. This means:

·       clearer foresight,

·       better understanding, and

·       more effective action.

It was with this in mind that the Swiss chairpersonship organised a conference in Geneva last month on ‹Anticipating technologies› and their impact on our collective security.

Conclusion

Excellencies,

In the six months to now the Swiss chairpersonship has not tried to gloss over our differences.
Rather, we have sought to uphold what still allows us to tackle, but not escalate them.

European history reminds us that no security framework can survive without communication.
Crises become dangerous when contact breaks down.

Wars spiral out of control when nobody talks to anyone else.
The OSCE exists precisely to avoid that.

·       It is certainly perfect, and

·       it is certainly not enough,

·       but it remains one of the few spaces where European security can still be discussed by all.

Let's safeguard that achievement.

Let’s refresh the OSCE's role.

And let’s work together for our future security.

Thank you.