The Corfu Process needs to be taken a step further in order to meet the challenges to European security in the 21st century, OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) chairman-in-office, Greece's prime minister and foreign minister, stressed on Tuesday at the OSCE's two-day 17th ministerial conference that opened in Athens earlier in the day.

   The Corfu Process, which was launched by the Greek OSCE chairmanship during an informal meeting of the Organisation's foreign ministers on the island of Corfu in June, "gave hope during a stormy year", Papandreou said, adding that it had been the commencement of a political dialogue on the future of European security.

   Addressing some 45 OSCE foreign ministers and 57 international delegations, Papandreou said that the Greek chairmanship of the organisation had from the outset been guided by the principle of an "honest mediator" for achieving consensus on and promoting all three aspects of security, namely the politico-military, the economic-environmental and the human dimensions.

   Outlining the international environment, with emphasis on the global financial and environmental crises and the crisis in Afghanistan, Papandreou stressed that the OSCE can play an important role in all those issues, and called on the member countries to display the political will to advance those issues.

   "Much has happened this year to remind us that security in our region remains a work in progress. The global economic crisis has affected all our countries. We have worked hard to contain the aftermath of armed conflict in Georgia. Instability in Afghanistan continues to pose multi-faceted challenges for the security of our region," Papandreou said.

   He also expressed hope that a spirit of cooperation will prevail at the conference and that specific decisions will be taken, and urged OSCE states to reinforce their commitment to seek solutions through the Corfu Process.

   "We have to agree on important decisions in the next two days to strengthen co-operative security across the OSCE area," he stressed.

   "We need to move from words to action. The new dialogue on European security can be meaningful only in so far as it is tied to concrete progress on key security challenges," said Papandreou, who passes on the 12-month OSCE chairmanship to Kazakhstan on Wednesday.

   Papandreou noted that Kazakhstan is the first country of the former Soviet Union to take the OSCE helm "and this gives a new prospect to the Organisation", adding that with the help of all the OSCE members, Kazakhstan can play an important role in enhancing security in Afghanistan through a reinforcement of regional cooperation. "Kazakhstan can make the difference," he stressed.

   On Georgia, Papandreou called the closure of the OSCE mission "a negative development", stressing that the OSCE's presence there is today more necessary than ever "and this can be done only if we display collective will".

   Papandreou further said that the economic and environmental dimensions of security were also at the crux of the Greek chairmanship, as reflected by the forum on migration held in Athens.

   Placing emphasis on the migration issue, Papandreou said that the problem has taken on serious dimensions in the last few years, and credible answers must be given at bilateral, regional and international level, and naturally in the framework of the OSCE as well.

   Turning to the "positive moves" made in long-standing disputes in the wider region, Papandreou cited the Armenia-Turkey rapprochement, while he also noted the efforts being made between Armenia and Azerbaijan, such as the last week's meeting between their two presidents in Munich under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group, and the talks on the Transnistrian conflict.

Caption: Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou (R) welcomes Bernard Kouchner (L), Minister of Foreign Affairs of France prior to the opening of the 17th OSCE Ministerial Council in Athens on 1 December 2009.EPA/ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU EPA/ANA-MPA/ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU