“It has been almost three years since the Russian military action in eastern Ukraine began, but the search for a political solution has stalled so far. We can see substantial discrepancies between Russia’s publicly declared ambition and real action. The deteriorating security situation is deeply worrying, massive violations of the ceasefire are recorded and the humanitarian situation remains difficult. Immediate action must be taken to address these issues, otherwise we risk to have another frozen conflict in eastern Ukraine,” warned the head of the Lithuanian delegation.
Čekuolis also urged the OSCE participating States to strengthen dialogue with civil society and to look for new ways to deal with the growing challenges for the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
“In some countries in the OSCE region propaganda is being spread in increasingly aggressive ways, severe restrictions have been imposed on activities of civil society and non-governmental organizations, human rights defenders are being subjected to persecution, and there has been a bias in the interpretation of history. A unanimous response from the OSCE is needed to counter these threats,” underscored the Lithuanian Ambassador.
At the meeting in Hamburg on 8-9 December, the OSCE Foreign Ministers are discussing the most important challenges to European security: conflicts across the OSCE area, including Russia’s aggression in eastern Ukraine and the illegal occupation of Crimea, the OSCE’s efforts to counter terrorism and response to the migration crisis, the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The OSCE Ministerial Council is the central decision-making and governing body of the OSCE, which convenes once a year. The meeting provides the Foreign Ministers with an opportunity to review and assess the organization’s activities, strengthen the dialogue on security issues in the OSCE area and outline guidelines for follow-up.
The OSCE brings together 57 participating States from North America, Europe and Asia, and is a regional security organization. The OSCE is chaired by Germany this year, which will be succeeded by Austria.
