If it were up to Poland, the annual meeting of the 57 foreign ministers of the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe should take place without representatives from Russia. The Polish OSCE presidency announced on Friday that Sergei Lavrov was refused entry because he is on the EU sanctions list because of the Russian offensive war against Ukraine. This move caused great outrage in Moscow. Now OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid speaks out against the exclusion of Russia.
Such a move would not improve the situation. “The founders of the OSCE considered a withdrawal mechanism for a reason. The OSCE is an inclusive organization by definition,” Schmid said in an interview with the Faces of Democracy initiative published Monday. The organization that emerged during the Cold War is “not a fair-weather organization,” said the German diplomat, who was confident in the future of the Vienna-based organization.
Schmid: “The trenches are deep”
“We are having very difficult talks at the moment, the rifts are deep. But in the future, the OSCE’s unique tools, its comprehensive approach to security, and the fact that Russia and America, Europe and Central Asia sit at one table will lead the way.” According to Schmid, the OSCE will play an even greater role in the future, precisely because of its inclusive membership with its 57 participating states from Central Asia, North America and Europe.
The annual meeting will take place on 1 and 2 December in Lodz, Poland. Moscow finds the Polish government’s refusal of entry “unprecedented and provocative”. In doing so, Poland had “irreparably damaged” the credibility of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Lavrov said last week.
Source: Krone
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