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17th OSCE Ministerial Council kicks off in Athens â€“ PHOTOSESSION

17th OSCE Ministerial Council kicks off in Athens â€“ <font color=red>PHOTOSESSION </font>

01 December 2009 12:16 (UTC +04:00)

APAâ€™s correspondent in Athens reports that foreign ministers of more than 45 OSCE participating States and 57 delegations attend the event. The meeting, held annually, provides an opportunity to review and assess the Organization’s activities during the past year and offer national viewpoints on security matters.
President of the Hellenic Republic Karolos Papoulias, OSCE PA President Joao Soares, OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut delivered speeches at the opening ceremony. Joao Soares welcomed Greek OSCE presidency and noted that Corfu process initiated by Greece would serve for further development of OCSE and security of Europe. Marc Perrin de Brichambaut stated that open â€œwoundsâ€ of unsettled conflicts and results of financial crisis negatively impact on security of Europe.
Further, foreign ministers of OSCE participating States made speeches. Azerbaijanâ€™s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov ranks the 28th.
Note that, Elmar Mammadyarov is expected to have a number of bilateral meetings, as well as a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu within the framework of the event.