Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has outlined what Kyiv plans to propose to unblock the work of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Source: Sybiha in an interview with the Ukrinform news agency, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Sybiha was asked about the five steps he outlined in Helsinki that Ukraine plans to present to its partners to take the OSCE out of deadlock.

Quote: "Firstly, we must get rid of the outdated consensus rule, which, due to Russia’s abuse, similar to the veto rule in the UN Security Council, condemns the OSCE to dysfunctionality. Therefore, it is important to abolish it, and Ukraine will be one of the countries advocating this aspect." 

Details:Secondly, he noted, the OSCE should be allowed, by a qualified two-thirds majority, to suspend the membership of states that violate the organisation’s principles or the fundamental principles of the Helsinki Final Act.

Quote:"Thirdly, we believe that the chairmanship should be improved. In particular, the powers of the OSCE Troika, as well as the institution of chairmanship in the Organisation, should be expanded. Fourthly, the mechanism for appointing the OSCE leadership should be improved, as this has direct consequences for defining priorities and ensuring the organisation’s functionality." 

Details:Sybiha added that work should also be done to ensure that the OSCE corresponds to the original idea at the time of its creation.

"At that time, there was the Cold War, and in our view, there is now a huge gap between the Organisation’s current functionality and today’s realities: there is a hot war in Europe… All this should be reflected in the OSCE’s activities," the minister said.

Background:

• Earlier, Sybiha stressed that Russia cannot remain an OSCE member after all it has done and cannot keep blocking the organisation’s work.
• At the events marking the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, which established the OSCE, the Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, whose country currently holds the chairmanship, stated the need to reform the organisation to make it capable of fulfilling its functions.

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