In his keynote speech devoted to Slovenia's year-long presidency of the organisation, Rupel cited the OSCE's role in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and the Western Balkans, saying that the OSCE should continue playing a prominent role in strengthening democratic institutions, the rule of law and basic human rights in Kosovo.
Expressing hope that the status of Kosovo would be settled next year, the Slovene foreign minister announced that the issue would be mentioned in a ministerial declaration that would be adopted at the conference.
"While dealing with the status of Kosovo, we must not forget Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Together with Croatia and Macedonia, this region belongs to Europe," Rupel said, adding that the OSCE and the European Union should devote more attention to the Western Balkans in order to stabilise it politically and economically and integrate it into the EU.
Rupel said that the Western Balkans "cannot be sold European dreams" while at the same time "access to those dreams is restricted" by a very restrictive visa regime. He added that if the region's European prospects failed it would face a risk of being gripped again by "nationalism and radicalism".
The head of the Croatian delegation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic, was expected to address the meeting later on.
Despite the fact that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw were not attending, Slovene media on Monday described the conference as the greatest political gathering in Slovenia since it gained independence in 1992 and an excellent way for Slovenia to reaffirm its international position.