Ukraine and the three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) have announced that they will not take part in the OSCE ministerial meeting on November 30 and December 1 in Skopje, which concludes North Macedonia’s chairmanship of the pan-European organization
at the meeting of the Russian delegation led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
“We should concentrate our joint efforts on how to save the OSCE from Russia, and not send messages about the possibility of returning to the forms of cooperation that existed before February 2022 to the state that has carried out the largest armed aggression in Europe since the end of February 2022 unleashed the Second World War. World War,” said a statement from the Kiev Foreign Ministry. “For this reason, the Ukrainian delegation will not attend the OSCE meeting.”
For their part, the three Baltic countries said in a joint statement that “the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania strongly condemn the decision to allow Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to participate in the OSCE Ministerial Council in Skopje and have therefore decided not to participate.” .”
“The decision to allow Sergei Lavrov to participate in the OSCE Ministerial Conference risks legitimizing the aggressor state Russia as a legitimate member of our community of free nations,” the statement continued.
These positions came after the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry confirmed in a press release last night that authorities in Sofia have allowed the plane on which the Russian Foreign Minister flew over Bulgarian airspace to travel to Skopje, where the The OSCE summit will take place on November 30th and December 1st and will mark the conclusion of North Macedonia’s presidency of the pan-European organization.
The approval was granted at the request of the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Permission to participate in the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Skopje is granted to Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and falls under the exceptions to the application of the EU sanctions regime against him. The permission granted does not apply to members of his delegation, against whom sanctions were also imposed,” underlines the statement from the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry. Sofia’s green light for Lavrov’s plane to fly over was expected last night by Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova.
EU High Representative Josep Borrell instead announced that he would travel to Skopje: “The EU chairmanship of the OSCE must not remain empty, we must counter Russia’s narrative: Lavrov will present his point of view and we must represent ours “I have some experience in talking to Lavrov in difficult situations, but I will not have a meeting with him, but will be present at the dinner and then return to the European Defense Agency meeting in Brussels,” he explained.
For his part, North Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani emphasized that “with its aggression towards Ukraine, Russia has violated the OSCE principles to which we voluntarily joined 50 years ago, and I will inform Minister Lavrov, whom I will not meet as Foreign Minister, about this inform.” of North Macedonia, but as President of the OSCE”. “Lavrov is not coming to Skopje, but to the OSCE ministerial meeting as well as to the United Nations in New York: the organization has served the region to promote democratic values, and we will need them more and more in the future, which we must preserve.” it “, he added
Moscow is “blackmailing and threatening” Ukraine
Ukraine “highly appreciates the efforts of North Macedonia during its 2023 OSCE Presidency” and Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani, who have demonstrated high professionalism and constant commitment to protecting OSCE principles and commitments.
“We are particularly grateful to North Macedonia for prioritizing the issue of countering Russian aggression against Ukraine during its presidency,” the Kiev note said.
“Today the Russian Federation is exerting pressure and weakening the OSCE through the abuse of the consensus rule.” Through blackmail and open threats, the Russian Federation has systematically blocked consensus on crucial issues. Blocking Estonia’s candidacy for the OSCE presidency in 2024 is another example of Russia’s abuses. In addition, Russia illegally detained three Ukrainian OSCE officials who have been detained for more than 500 days. Russia has created an existential crisis
“Within the OSCE, he has made the organization hostage to his whims and aggression,” accuses the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
“Under such conditions, the presence of the Russian delegation at the ministerial-level meeting for the first time since the beginning of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine will only worsen the crisis into which Russia has plunged the OSCE.”
Finland closes its last border crossing with Russia
Finland’s prime minister announced today that his country would close its final border crossing with Russia following an influx of migrants that Helsinki said was a hybrid attack orchestrated by Moscow. “The government decided today to close all border crossings on the eastern border,” Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told reporters, while Interior Minister Mari Rantanen added that the closure would come into force on the night of Wednesday to Thursday and last until December 13 .
The reasons of the Baltic countries
The 30th Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will take place from November 30 to December 1, 2023 in Skopje, North Macedonia. The Council of Ministers is the central decision-making and governing body of the OSCE.
“The annual meeting is an opportunity for foreign ministers to review and assess the security situation in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian areas and the work of the organization in all its areas of activity,” the organization’s website says.
“In the last two years – emphasize the Baltic States – we have seen how one OSCE participating state actively and brutally tried to destroy another. Furthermore, we have seen nothing other than Russia’s obstructive behavior within the OSCE, first by blocking any OSCE presence and activities in Ukraine, then by blocking Estonia’s presidency for 2024 for completely fabricated reasons, and now by blocking more constructive ones Solutions to keep the organization alive and functioning.”
“In this regard, the decision to allow Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to attend the OSCE Ministerial Meeting risks legitimizing the aggressor Russia as a legitimate member of our community of free nations, trivializing the atrocious crimes that Russia is committing and Russia’s blatant violations are tolerated and disregard for fundamental OSCE principles and commitments.”
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