Estonia not withdrawing OSCE chairmanship candidacy
Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said Estonia will not withdraw its candidacy for the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2024, despite opposition from Russia and Belarus.
Russia is "violating the basic principles and obligations of the OSCE", the minister was quoted as saying by the newspaper Postimees.
"Today, we are in a situation where the organization does not have a chairman for next year, the budget has not been approved for the second year, and the mandates of the secretary general and heads of independent institutions of the OSCE will soon expire," Tsahkna said.
"In such circumstances, we must show that we can be creative and find solutions that do not harm the future of the OSCE or its basic principles and allow the OSCE to continue its important work," he added.
Estonia is the only candidate for the chair of 2024 and will not be withdrawing its candidacy, the foreign minister stressed.
In May, it was reported that Russia and Belarus were against Estonia's chairmanship.
Tsahkna said at the time that Russia is not interested in opposing only Estonia, but rather in blocking the activities of all international organizations based on democratic principles that take into consideration the interests of all member states.
Finland will hold the chairmanship in 2025.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Helen Wright
Source: Postimees/BNS
