The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) criticizes the lack of progress in the struggle to find a solution to the conflict in Ukraine, which has been simmering for years.
Stockholm – “Humanitarian needs must have priority over political considerations,” said Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde on Thursday at the start of a two-day OSCE foreign ministers’ meeting in Stockholm. The OSCE observation mission SMM must be guaranteed unlimited access to the whole of Ukraine, said the Swede, whose country will chair the OSCE this year. According to NATO, Russia has once again stationed unusually large contingents of combat-ready troops as well as heavy weapons and drones on the border with Ukraine. Ukraine now puts the number of Russian soldiers on the border at 115,000. The developments bring back bad memories of 2014. At that time, Russia had annexed the Crimean peninsula and started supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine, which is still ongoing. There are always battles there.
As Linde underlined, the Stockholm meeting takes place during major turbulence and in the face of several crises in Europe. The aim of the meeting is to rebuild mutual trust and cooperation between the 57 OSCE states. We know that a climate of resentment can develop into a climate of confrontation, said Linde. “We have to reverse this trend because the European security crisis is widening almost eight years after the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine.” The recent tensions between Belarus and its neighbors are a warning sign. For weeks, thousands of migrants have been trying to get from Belarus across the EU’s external borders to Poland or the Baltic states.
“2021 was a really difficult year for the OSCE,” said the acting Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. The conflict in eastern Ukraine threatens peace in the region and remains a major issue for everyone. In view of the many serious crises, the dialogue via the OSCE should be used and strengthened. “People talk to each other here, not just about each other,” said the SPD politician in the plenary. The Vienna-based organization includes a total of 57 countries from Europe, North America and Central Asia – including the USA and Russia. Its two foreign ministers, Antony Blinken and Sergej Lavrov, wanted to meet in Stockholm for a bilateral discussion. (dpa)
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