North Macedonia, which currently holds the revolving chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), has decided to allow Russian planes into its territory so that a Kremlin delegation could attend Thursday’s OSCE ministerial meeting, prompting boycotts by Kyiv and the Baltic nations.
As the organisation’s current chair, North Macedonia’s decision to invite Russia to the OSCE’s annual ministerial conference in Skopje has not gone down well.
Bulgaria agreed to ease the delegation’s passage through its territory on Monday, but added that the authorisation “does not apply to members of his delegation who are also sanctioned under EU law and who are named in documents held by Bulgaria.”
Following the announcement of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s intention to attend, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania announced their intention to boycott the meeting on Tuesday.
According to Kyiv’s foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will not attend. Kiev has demanded that Moscow be expelled from the organization.
In a forceful joint statement released on Tuesday, the three foreign ministers of the Baltic States confirmed their decision to abstain from the NATO summit in Brussels.
In a statement, Margus Tsahkna, the Estonian minister of foreign affairs, said: “Russia will use this opportunity to spread its propaganda and undermine the unity of the West.” The truth is that Russia’s war machine is attacking defenseless Ukrainians and deporting children without batting an eye while the OSCE summit is taking place in Skopje.
Decided together with @krisjaniskarins & @GLandsbergis to not attend the OSCE ministerial council in Skopje if Russia’s foreign minister Lavrov will participate.
My view: Lavrov belongs at a special tribunal instead of the OSCE table.
Our full statement:https://t.co/Dkb1gn9T71 pic.twitter.com/J60h9DsTkt
— Margus Tsahkna (@Tsahkna) November 28, 2023
“Estonia cannot be at the same table as the aggressor and take responsibility for any fallout that Lavrov’s attendance may cause,” Tsahkna continued. Lavrov belongs at a special tribunal, not at the OSCE table, which goes against our core values.
The OSCE, which was established in the midst of the Cold War with the intention of easing tensions between the Eastern and Western blocs, has 57 members, including Russia.
Regarding whether they are arranging any bilateral meetings during the conference, the foreign minister of North Macedonia has not made that information public.
Following NATO’s own ministerial in Brussels, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Skopje for the summit, but he has stated he will not meet with Lavrov.
