Within the preparations for Serbia's OSCE chairmanship, training of diplomats and other government officials was held at the Diplomatic Academy, in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Serbia to the OSCE in Vienna and the Working Group for Serbian OSCE chairmanship in 2015, with financial assistance from the German Foreign Office and the OSCE. The training (from 8 to 12 September 2014) will be conducted by representatives of CORE Institute, University of Hamburg, specializing in the training of staff from countries chairing the OSCE, as well as by representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Opening remarks at the seminar were made by Ambassador Dejan Šahović, Head of the Foreign Ministry's Working Group responsible for the preparation of Serbian OSCE chairmanship, in the presence of Dr. Wolfgang Zellner, Director of CORE Institute and Dr. Anna Kreikemeier, researcher. In addition to welcoming teachers and students and expressing gratitude to the German Foreign Office for their assistance, H.E. Mr. Šahović stressed the importance of preparing for the activities that are one of the foreign policy priorities of the Republic of Serbia in 2015. Our country, as Chair of the OSCE, will endeavor to participate in a transparent and impartial manner in solving the current international problems, ranging from major political and security challenges posed by the crisis in Ukraine and other potential hot spots. It will be dedicated to the important role played by the OSCE in the region and constant human rights issues, cyber-security, water resources management, gender equality, and others. H.E Mr. Šahović said that in view of the fact that the Chairmanship of the Republic of Serbia would take place in the year marking the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act it would be an opportunity to further promote the original principles of the CSCE / OSCE.

Dr. Wolfgang Zellner shared the specific experience of the Institute in the training of personnel from the countries that had presided over the OSCE, providing the topics and lecturers of the training in the Republic of Serbia and a brief overview of international relations whose complexity led to the growing importance of the OSCE. Dr. Ana Kreikemeier, researcher at CORE Institute, explained to the participants the methodology and the training programme.

In addition to the scholars and lecturers of the Institute, the lectures will be held by the representatives of the OSCE: Ambassador Marcel Pesko, Director of the Office of the OSCE Secretary General; Dr. Claus Neukirch, Deputy Director of the Conflict Prevention Centre; Mr. Marco Kubny, Deputy Head of the Department for Strategic Planning in the Transnational Threats Department; Mr. Jan Olav Haukaas, Special Adviser of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, as well as Mr. Mathew Quinn, Political Adviser of the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the OSCE.