Klimkin: The OSCE is in deep crisis
Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin believes that in recent years the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has been in deep crisis.
He made this statement in an article for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung German newspaper, the text of which was posted on Facebook of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine.
"In recent years, the OSCE has been in a deep crisis including its working structures - ODIHR (the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights) and the HCNM (OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities). Moscow has been constantly criticizing, downplaying their importance, and seeking to reduce their budgets. Using the principle of consensus, Russia is trying to prevent all renominated candidates from running for the positions in HCNM or the position of the representative on the issues of the freedom of the media.
Currently Russia does not need an effective OSCE. It does not need an effective monitoring mission in Ukraine. It does not need a police mission near its border. It does not need access of international observers to the occupied Crimea," Klimkin said.
According to the minister, all that Russia opposes, is necessary for the OSCE if the organization wants to prove its viability in the modern world. In this regard, he said, there are only two alternatives for the future of the OSCE member countries.
"The first one - we go back to the 'spirit' of the OSCE and not just talking about credibility but building trust based on rules as the basis of the European security. And it should be done quickly. The second alternative means that everyone will soon realize that security is a business of individual countries, societies and citizens. And as soon as it becomes a reality, they will resort to any means, not always rational. Then we will have a war of all against all. And it will not be Europe of the XIX century, with its "Vienna concert", but an immersion into a new reality, where there is no place for safety, stability, values and rules," Klimkin said.
Klimkin's article was published before the informal meeting of OSCE foreign ministers in Potsdam on September 1st. The initiative to hold a meeting to discuss the situation in Ukraine was made by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.