Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian is in Ljubljana, Slovenia, to participate in the 13th annual Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe being held December 5 and 6. The OSCE Ministerial agenda includes issues relating to organizational reforms, global security, migration, economic development and democratic and human rights in the OSCE region. The OSCE Council adopted an OSCE Ministerial Decision on the Strengthening the Effectiveness of the OSCE and a document on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination in the OSCE area.

A ministerial statement on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict read ³We take note with satisfaction of the progress in the Nagorno Karabakh negotiations thorugh the ŒPrague Process¹ in 2005, and in particular the two meetings of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Warsaw and Kazan under the auspices of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. We believe that the Parties are now poised to make the transition from negotiation to decision and that there are serious benefits within reach for all. We encourage the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to use the current promising window of opportunity in order to attain within the coming year significant achievement in the settlement of the conflict in the framework of the OSCE Minsk process.²

In addition, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act which embodies the founding principles of the organization. In his address to the assembly, Minister Oskanian spoke about these issues, as well as those relating to conflict resolution. He stressed that Helsinki Final act principles must be taken as a whole, and that no principle, particularly and including the principle of self-determination of peoples, should be accorded secondary status. (See Minister¹s statement below.)

In the margins of the Ministerial Council, Minister Oskanian met with the co-chairs of the Minsk Group, together with his Azerbaijani colleague. They discussed future steps in the negotiation process.

Foreign Minister Oskanian also met with OSCE Chairman in Office, Dimitrij Rupel, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia, whose term ends with this Council. In further meetings with the Secretary General of the OSCE, Marc Perrin de Brichambaud, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Terry Davis, the Minister updated the two officials on the Nagorno Karabakh resolution process, and spoke about domestic processes in Armenia.

Minister Oskanian held bilateral meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Luxembourg, Ukraine and Romania. The latter will take on the presidency of the Council of Europe next year.

Finally, in an informal setting, the foreign ministers of the three Baltic states met with the foreign ministers of Armenia, Georgia, and a representative of Azerbaijan, in order to discuss common problems, prospects for cooperation in international forums, and in particular in European structures.

Minister Oskanian with Dimitri Rupel	Minister Oskanian with Daniel Fried
Minister Oskanian with Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu MFA of Romania	Minister Oskanian with Jean Asselborn, MFA of Luxembourg