News

At the meeting of Ministers of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe held in New York on 26 September on the situation in Ukraine, Foreign Minister of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius stated that a cynical violation of the basic principles and commitments of OSCE in Ukraine committed by Russia destroys the fundamentals of European security. According to the Minister, strategic discussions about collective instruments, which should be applied in case of military aggression of one OSCE member state against another OSCE member state, are needed.

In the meeting devoted to the crisis in Ukraine the OSCE Ministers urged the countries to find the ways of ensuring the essential OSCE principles and commitments within the context of aggression against Ukraine.
 
According to Linas Linkevičius, in 2010 the Heads of the OSCE member states agreed to create a security and stability space without any spheres of interest capable of restricting sovereignty of any of the OSCE member state. Russia demonstrated its real vision of the architecture of European security.
 
“The fact that taking advantage of the ostensible violations of the rights of ethnic minorities, military aggression of one OSCE member state against another sovereign OSCE member state can be justified, causes great concern”, Linas Linkevičius said.
 
During the meeting, Didier Burkhalter, Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, proposed to approve of the wise men group and consider its recommendations concerning challenges to OSCE principles and values. OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier urged the Ministers to allocate funds, armoured cars and appoint experts to the OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine.
 
The meeting of OSCE Ministers in New York is an introduction to the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting to be held in Basel (Switzerland) on 4-5 December where greatest attention is planned to be devoted to solving the conflict in Ukraine.