On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Helsinki Accords, also known as the Helsinki Final Act, a conference is being held in the capital of Finland to discuss European security and the future of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The conference aims to send a loud and clear message about full respect for the principles of the OSCE and the UN Charter, “as they are now being challenged in an unprecedented way”.
The conference is attended by representatives of 57 OSCE mamber states and 11 partner countries, as well as representatives of civil society, including Dragana Dardić, a representative of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Banja Luka.
Incidentally, the beginning of the conference is marked by protests demanding that OSCE member states stop the bombing of Gaza, and Finland is asked to recognize Palestine.
The Helsinki Final Act was signed on August 1, 1975, after two years of negotiations known as the Helsinki Process.
All European states at the time (except Andorra and Albania), as well as the USA and Canada, signed this act with the aim of strengthening cooperation and reducing tensions between East and West during the Cold War.
