Granada, 5 October 2023 (MIA) – We are chairing OSCE in the most difficult year, as you are all aware, and our Chairpersonship is doing everything to ensure that the Organization continues to be the most important security organization in Europe, said Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski in response to a journalist’s question ahead of the beginning of the third meeting of the European Political Community, held Thursday in Granada, Spain.

Kovachevski said there are challenges since Russia and Belarus are also a part of the organization, and stressed they are in constant communication in order to drive the processes towards a peaceful Europe.

“But in order to have a peaceful Europe the first thing that is needed is to stop the war in Ukraine and for Ukraine to preserve its territorial integrity and fulfill its goals for a democratic and sovereign country. So, we will continue until the end of our chairmanship to be a country which will take all the important opinions into consideration and organize a successful summit by the end of the year,” said Kovachevski.

Without providing any details, Kovachevski noted that the OSCE Ministerial Meeting, to be held in December in Skopje, is currently under preparations.

Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Bujar Osmani said the OSCE summit, set to take place on 30 November-1 December in Skopje, will probably decide the future of the organization, considering Russia's veto on decisions. Osmani said one of the solutions is for North Macedonia to continue to lead the Organization for one more year. 

"This is the most difficult year in the history of OSCE. It has no budget, no chair, no one to hand over the chairmanship to in 2024. This is happening for the first time on record, because Russia vetoed Estonia's chairmanship, whereas the terms of OSCE's four executive leaders are expiring and consensus is required for their extension. I am in continued communication, and talked to (Russian FM Sergey) Lavrov a few weeks ago," Osmani told Telma in an interview

Osmani stressed that if a solution is not found, this might be OSCE's final year, adding that the decision will probably be made in Skopje.

Photo: MIA/MIA Archive