The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE, is with its wide circle of participating States and comprehensive concept of security an important instrument for creating conditions for long-term security in Europe. The Organization has its roots in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), a forum for dialogue between East and West that was established in the early 1970s. In 1993, the CSCE was given the status of a regional arrangement by the United Nations, under Chapter VIII of the UN Charter. In 1995, CSCE changed its name to the OSCE, and established its headquarters in Vienna.
