Compromise with Moscow: German Schmid remains OSCE chief
At the meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE), Russia partially prevailed with its blockade stance. At the end of the meeting in Skopje, North Macedonia, the 57 OSCE states agreed that the German diplomat Helga Schmid would continue to head the organization's secretariat in Vienna.
However, Russia only agreed to a short extension of nine months for Schmid and three other top OSCE representatives. The OSCE leadership must therefore be renegotiated by September.
Russia also prevailed on the question of who will be considered for the OSCE chairmanship next year. Moscow's representatives rejected Estonia because of its NATO membership. Finally, neutral Malta was awarded the chairmanship in a further compromise.
Russia blocks budget adoption
Russia is also continuing to block the adoption of a budget for the OSCE, which not only serves as a platform for dialog on security issues, but also runs projects to strengthen democracy and human rights.
After the ministerial meeting, the current OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and North Macedonian Foreign Minister, Bujar Osmani, nevertheless spoke of a "groundbreaking" result. Almost all 57 member states had condemned Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine in Skopje. "Our ministerial meeting has rekindled our beacon. Although there are attempts to extinguish it, it is still shining," he said. The compromises with Moscow were necessary for the OSCE to be able to continue its work, Osmani emphasized at a press conference.
Berlin sees the meeting as positive
Berlin also viewed the meeting positively. "Good news from Skopje", wrote the Foreign Office on X (formerly Twitter). With the decisions on OSCE leadership, the organization can continue to work for the security of a total of 1.3 billion people in the member states, it said. In addition to Schmid, the terms of office of the OSCE representatives for minorities, freedom of the press and democracy and human rights were extended by nine months. All four were appointed for three years in December 2020.
The meeting was attended by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Russia's chief diplomat Sergey Lavrov, among others. Lavrov used the conference to blame the West for the OSCE crisis and criticize Western counterparts. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell had already left, Lavrov said at his own press conference. "They probably believe that this underlines their intention to isolate Russia. But I think they are simply cowards, they are afraid of any honest conversation with facts," he said.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, there have been calls within the OSCE for Russia to be excluded. However, many members, including Western states, are not in favor of this step. However, the remaining members are not in agreement about such a step, said Osmani. "Some countries are concerned that the OSCE was created as a platform for dialog with other countries with which they disagree," he said.
- Despite Russia's blockade stance on several issues during the OSCE meeting in Skopje, Helga Schmid, the German diplomat, was appointed for a nine-month extension as the head of the OSCE secretariat, with the support of 57 OSCE states.
- In the ongoing budget adoption dispute for the OSCE, which promotes dialogue on security issues and runs projects for democracy and human rights, Russia once again blocked the adoption process, leading to compromises necessary for the OSCE to continue its work.
- During the OSCE meeting, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended, with Lavrov criticizing the West for the OSCE crisis and accusing Western counterparts of cowardice for avoiding "honest conversation with facts."
Source: www.dpa.com
