In 2013 Ukraine will take over the OSCE-Chairmanship. Ukraine is neither a member of NATO nor part of Russian-led security alliances. This gives the country the special interest to push the reform process of the OSCE and to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security. Key topics of the chairmanship are the implementation of commitments in the human dimension and to find a better balance between the three OSCE-dimensions which is also a demand of Russia. At the same time, the current Ukrainian government is searching for its foreign policy role between EU and Russia. Unless the leadership has discussed the status as a neutral country and was looking for alternative partners like China it has to make a decision for its foreign policy priority. Will Ukraine follow the integration pressure by Russia into the Custom Union and Eurasian Union or is a compromise with regard to the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with the EU possible? What are the expectations and the realities with a view to OSCE-Chairmanship of Ukraine next year? What is the current foreign policy strategy of Ukraine?
The conference will be organized in two panels: On the first panel the speakers will discuss the priorities and expectations on the OSCE-Chairmanship of Ukraine. The second panel focuses on the current state of Ukrainian foreign policy and its role for Europe.
