Malta’s ambassador to Austria, Natasha Meli Daudey, criticizes the Kremlin’s refusal to allow OSCE election observers to attend the presidential elections in mid-March: “Only independent observers can determine whether elections are free and fair.”
Unfortunately, Russia has decided not to have the presidential elections monitored by ODIHR (Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights), Meli Daudey regretted. Regarding the Russian war against Ukraine, Meli Daudey explains to the Austrian magazine ‘Cercle Diplomatique’ the position of the neutral island republic of Malta, which took over the chairmanship of the OSCE at the beginning of 2024: ‘Russia must withdraw from the entire territory of Ukraine and put an end to this war. “The Maltese Presidency is determined to keep Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine at the top of the OSCE’s task list.”
Malta will continue the dialogue because the country has a “long history of bringing conflicting parties to the table”. “There is hope: The Cold War ended in Malta, where (US President George HW) Bush and (Kremlin leader Mikhail) Gorbachev met in 1989. That obviously happened during a period of relaxation.”
Long agenda
Malta, which is also currently a member of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, will also use both positions for synergies, for example in the fight for climate protection. During the OSCE presidency, Malta will also focus on digitalisation, cyber threats, sustainable economy and media freedom. The safety of journalists online and offline receives special attention. Investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb in Malta in 2017. The trial of the alleged client, a Maltese businessman, will begin in the coming months, Meli Daudey said.
Source: Krone
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