At the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Valletta on 5 and December, Undersecretary for Global Affairs Minna-Liina Lind said the OSCE’s value lies in its founding principles and there can be no concessions on them.
The main topic of the ministerial meeting of the OSCE was Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, including war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russia, the deportation of children, violence against women, and systematic attacks on civilian infrastructure. Participants strongly condemned the destruction caused by Russia and underlined the need to make progress with an international tribunal for the crime of aggression that would make it possible to hold Russia’s leaders to account.
Estonia and many other countries stressed that the OSCE can do more to support Ukraine, building on actions by other international organisations like the European Union and NATO. They also noted that the OSCE must be more engaged in the actions of the Peace Formula of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Undersecretary for Global Affairs Minna-Liina Lind, who headed the Estonian delegation at the Ministerial Council, underlined that in addition to countering Russia’s aggression and supporting Ukraine, the OSCE’s value lies in its founding principles that should not be subject to concessions. “The sovereignty of states and the inviolability of frontiers, refraining from the threat or use of force, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are the principles that were enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act in 1975. These are not subject to bargaining or negotiations if we wish to restore peace and security in the whole OSCE region,” Lind said.
She added that as Russia is violating all OSCE principles by waging its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, Estonia finds it deeply regrettable that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was allowed to take part in the official programme of OSCE’s Ministerial Council. Representing Estonia, Undersecretary Lind left the room during Lavrov’s speech.
The Ministerial Council adopted decisions on the appointments of the OSCE Secretary General, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Director of the Office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM), and the Director of the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. In 2025, Finland holds the Chairpersonship of the OSCE.
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