Feature: OSCE diplomats convene in Helsinki to recall 1975 spirit

Instead of celebratory statements as 40 years ago, the white marble Finlandia Hall in Helsinki was the scene of expressions of concerns about the security situation in Europe, followed by further talks behind closed doors.

The meeting of diplomats from member countries of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) was arranged on Friday as a commemoration of the major reconciliation between the two sides of the Cold War in 1975.

Forty years ago, 33 European countries plus Canada and the United States signed the Helsinki Final Act, which comprised agreements concerning security arrangement, human rights commitment, as well as economic and scientific cooperation.

The Final Act then led to the establishment of the OSCE, the biggest governmental security organization so far. The system now attracts over 57 member countries including Mongolia, and some Mediterranean and Asia-Pacific partners.

However, the prospect that this system could help easing the tension between Russia and the European Union is slim, as there is evidently less willingness and determination than 40 years ago.

The four-day event of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly this week in Finlandia Hall was dominated by partisan stands and open disagreement, and a resolution was passed in the absence of Russian delegation condemning Russia on its alleged role in eastern Ukraine.

The closed door meeting of diplomats on Friday was supposed to provide a forum for finding common ground. The original Helsinki document dated back in 1975 had been brought to the Finlandia Hall from the Foreign Ministry Archives and could be seen in a display.

Opening the public commemoration, Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini said the urgency for building security through cooperation could be stronger now than it was 40 years ago.

He recalled the original 1969 Finnish initiative aimed at enhancing European security and thereby Finland's security too.

"Strengthening co-operative security arrangements was and is not directed against anyone or anyone's interests," Soini told the audience.

The rotating OSCE Chairperson, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, admitted that the OSCE could be better used as a platform for finding peaceful solutions to the Ukraine crisis and other issues.

He said the OSCE needs reforms in its processes, noting that more capability will be needed for observation and early warning, reminding of the fact that the current crisis had not been predicted two months before its outbreak. Endit