Prague, Feb 15 (CTK) – The Czech government approved on Wednesday the nomination of diplomat Stefan Fule (54) for the post of general secretary of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for the forthcoming three-year term.
The term of current OSCE head Lamberto Zannier from Italy expires on June 30.
Fule now works at the Foreign Ministry as a special ministerial commissioner for the OSCE.
Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek (Social Democrats, CSSD) says if elected, Fule could apply his rich experiences and his knowledge of security affairs.
“In all of his previous posts, Stefan Fule has proven that he is a competent diplomat and efficient manager with excellent knowledge of security affairs. He can clearly formulate European interests and build relations with partners,” Zaoralek said.
Fule said if elected, he would develop the OSCE ability to build trust and security in Europe.
“The OSCE, the biggest regional organisation in the world, is a place for dialogue in even the most complicated conditions and conflicts,” Fuele said.
The appointment of the OSCE general secretary must be unanimously approved by the OSCE Ministerial Council.
The negotiating process on the election will be headed by Austria which holds the OSCE presidency in 2017.
The OSCE member countries are to make the decision on the new OSCE general secretary in the second quarter of 2017.
Along with a number of diplomatic posts, Fule was the European affairs minister and the first deputy defence minister in Czech governments.
Between 2010 and 2014, he was the European commissioner for enlargement and neighbourhood policy.
Vit Dostal, an analyst of the Association for International Affairs (AMO), said the OSCE was outstanding in being the only institution maintaining the West-Russia dialogue.
This is why Fule’s chances may have been reduced by his having been one of the four Czech politicians blacklisted by Moscow, Dostal said.
However, he is no longer on the list, he added.
“Only Russia has information on the list and the exact date. However, I have known since last September that I am not on it,” Fule has told CTK.
