The OSCE’s origins date back to the early 1970s, to the Helsinki Final Act (1975) and the creation of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE), which during the Cold War served as an important multilateral forum for dialogue and negotiations between East and West. The preparatory talks that marked the start of the actual negotiating process for the CSCE took place between November 1972 and June 1973 in Helsinki. The Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe was officially opened on 3 July 1973 in Helsinki. It was the largest regional organization in terms of the number of States it brought together and the geographical area it covered. The organization units the countries of Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia, as well as two major countries in North America. The organization includes both Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian countries.

The CSCE was formally created by the Helsinki Final Act (HFA) on 1 August 1975, which was signed by 35 states, 33 European, plus the United States and Canada.

Azerbaijan became a member of the Council for Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) (OSCE as of the 1st of January 1995) on the 30th of January 1992. The CSCE was the first European organization to include Azerbaijan. For the first time, Azerbaijan participated in the CSCE Summit in Helsinki on the 8th to the 10th of July 1992 and signed its documents.

After being elected President on October 3, 1993, Heydar Aliyev made his first official visit to France on December 19–22, 1993, at the invitation of French President Francois Mitterrand. During this visit, the “Charter of Paris” was also signed. Thus, Azerbaijan joined the OSCE Paris Charter, on December 20, 1993.

The history of the Charter of Paris for a New Europe dates  to 1990. At the Paris Summit of the CSCE, held on the eve of the collapse of the USSR and now of the highest stage of ideological and class conflict – 19-21 November 1990, an important document “Charter of Paris for a New Europe” was adopted. This document was defining the basic principles and norms of the system of international relations, including international security. Besides, the Charter tasked the OSCE with managing the post-Cold War situation, security, and co-operation in Europe. The Charter of Paris consisted of a first part entitled “A New Era of Democracy, Peace and Unity”, a second part entitled “Guidelines for the Future” and a third part entitled “New Structures and Institutions of the CSCE Process”.

The second part of the Charter reflects the issues of security and co-operation in Europe and the basic principles of activity in this sphere. The document defines the main directions of joint actions of the participating States in the sphere of current conflicts in Europe, cases of encroachment on sovereign rights, threats to political and economic independence and threats to territorial integrity. In addition, the Charter of Paris recommended that participating States to resolve all conflict issues peacefully, refrain from threats and use of force against each other. The Charter assigned a number of tasks to the participating States in the direction of maintaining peace and security in the region and the world, resolving conflicts peacefully within the framework of international law.

This document confirmed the principles of the Helsinki Final Act of 1 August 1975 and showed that all CSCE participating States are interested in multilateral co-operation. The Summit emphasised the need for regular political consultations and the establishment of permanent structures for pan-European co-operation, and identified the main directions of the pan-European process. The Paris Summit marked the end of the period of split and conflict in interstate relations in Europe and the beginning of a new era creating new foundations for security on the continent. The Charter was based on values common to European countries – democracy, respect for human rights, a free market economy and the rule of law.

Recommended literature:

1. Azərbaycan Respublikasının tarixi : 1991-2003 / AMEA A.A. Bakıxanov adına Tarix İnstitutu ; layihənin rəh., elmi red. Y. M. Mahmudov, red. heyəti: A. A. Əlizadə [et al.]. I cild : Heydər Əliyev dövrü. - Bakı : Azərbaycan Tarixçiləri İctimai Birliyi, 2016. - 704 s.
2. Qasımlı, Musa Cəfər oğlu. Azərbaycan Respublikasının tarixi : 1991-2021: 2 cilddə / M. C. Qasımlı ; elmi red. İ. X. Zeynalov ; Bakı Dövlət Universiteti. - ISBN 978-9952-546-20-0. I cild : 1991-2003. - Bakı : BDU nəşriyyatı, 2021. - 384 s.
3. Əliyev, Etibar Əli oğlu. Beynəlxalq hüquq : anlayışı, hüquq doktrinası və tədris kursu / E. Ə. Əliyev ; elmi red. Ə. İ. Əliyev ; ön sözün müəl. R. F. Məmmədov ; AMEA Hüquq və İnsan Haqları İnstitutu, Bakı Dövlət Universiteti. - Bakı : Günəş-B, 2016. - 100 s.
4. Əkbərov, Rahib Abdulla oğlu. Avropa hüququ: dərs vəsaiti /R. Əkbərov ; elmi red. N. Cəfərli. - Bakı: Elm və təhsil, 2016. - 353 s.