Skopje, 1 December 2023 (MIA) – Russia remains isolated within the OSCE due to the military aggression on Ukraine according to the United States Ambassador to the OSCE, Michael Carpenter, who gave a press conference Friday on the sidelines of the Ministerial Council in Skopje over the results of the meeting.

The Ambassador voiced recognition for North Macedonia over the “tremendous job” in leading the organization in “very difficult times”.

“The focus for all of us has been Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. North Macedonia as Chair has kept the spotlight on this horrible aggression, we discuss it each and every week at the Permanent Council. Russia remains isolated within this Organization, there is no other participating state that supports their war of aggression or that tries to defend it. In other ways we have also found that the Organization provides us with a vehicle to accomplishing our aims which includes, of course, supporting civil society. So, we have found a way despite Russia’s objections to hold our annual human rights conference in Warsaw this year, attended by some 1500 civic activists, beating last year’s record, as a matter of fact. And then also using instruments like the Moscow Mechanism, a critical tool for OSCE participating states to hold Russia to account for its brutal actions in Ukraine including, of course, war crimes, torture, crimes against humanity, and other atrocities,” said Ambassador Carpenter.

At the press conference, the Ambassador informed that an agreement has been reached over the Organization’s Chairpersonship in 2024, and the extension of the mandates of the top officials at the institutions within the OSCE.

“I am happy to report that Malta has agreed to step forward as the Chairperson-in-Office for next year. We are thankful and grateful to them for assuming this responsibility. It’s a big challenge that they face, but we have every confidence that they will defend our values in the coming year. On the leadership of the Organization, we have just reached a preliminary agreement in the preparatory committee to allow for a nine-month extension for the mandates of the Secretary General, the High Commissioner on National Minorities, the Representative on Freedom of the Media, and the Director of the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. We think this will stick. And this is, frankly, a victory for our western like-minded countries who have questioned whether there would be any possibility for agreement on these terms,” said the U.S. diplomat.