As delivered by Ambassador Ian Kelly
to the Permanent Council, Vienna
June 27, 2013
The United States welcomes Mr. Sergey Lebedev, Executive Secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), to the Permanent Council today and thanks him for his presentation of the CIS’s current priorities and activities.
We are pleased that the CIS attaches importance to coordination and cooperation with the OSCE. The United States values the OSCE’s practical, results-oriented cooperation with other organizations, including the CIS. We believe the best way to implement this cooperation is by coordinating our efforts in a flexible and informal way.
For example, we support close contacts between the OSCE and the CIS at the working level on transnational issues including organized crime, counter-terrorism and anti-trafficking. Last year’s round table held in St. Petersburg on combating trafficking in human beings was jointly organized by the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the CIS and the CIS Executive Committee. We believe that roundtable is representative of the useful work we can and should do together.
Thank you once again, Mr. Lebedev, for your appearance here today. We wish you and your organization all the best.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
