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7887th Security Council Meeting: OSCE Briefing
Delivering the organization’s annual briefing to the Security Council, OSCE Chair Sebastian Kurz, Austria’s Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, declared: “Everywhere we look, there are grave threats to peace and security.” Citing the war and destruction in Syria and Ukraine, as well as serious violations of international law, rising nationalism, and radicalization and terrorism in societies, he said armed conflicts had caused much suffering, displacement and destruction in the OSCE area of operation, and emphasized the need to find political solutions.
He went on to emphasize that one of the central issues on the OSCE’s agenda was the crisis in and around Ukraine, noting that the organization held regular discussions on the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, the flow of arms into Ukraine’s Donbas region, the role of the Russian Federation, implementation of the Minsk agreements, and repeated acts of violence. Other major security challenges were radicalization and terrorism, both of which threatened the internal stability of OSCE member States, the rule of law and the basic freedoms of expression, religion and belief.
Noting that more than 10,000 people from the OSCE area of operations had joined Da’esh, he said such fighters not only caused terrible suffering in Syria, Iraq and Libya, but also threatened the security of OSCE member States. “No matter whether we want to solve conflicts or fight against terrorism, what is needed is trust,” he said, emphasizing that rebuilding trust among States was the most difficult task. However, as a neutral country, Austria had always been a bridge-builder between East and West, and would strive to find common solutions to challenges as OSCE Chair.
As delegates took the floor following the presentation by the Chair-in-Office, the Russian Federation’s representative said his country stood ready to assist in Nagorno-Karabakh and Transnistria, and expressed hope that 2017 would bring peace to eastern Ukraine after three years of conflict. Calling for the full implementation of the Minsk agreements, he also voiced hope that the OSCE’s Austrian Chair would oversee the objectivity of its Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. As an important mechanism for building European security, the OSCE’s role should be strengthened and clearly defined, he stressed.
The representative of the United States, while commending the work carried out by the OSCE, reiterated that full implementation of the Minsk agreements was the best way to alleviate the suffering of people in eastern Ukraine. The United States recognized Ukraine’s bravery and commitment to finding a solution to the ongoing conflict, she added.
Painting a bleak picture, the United Kingdom’s representative said the international rules-based system was under threat, as was evident in eastern Ukraine, where residents had lived in fear for three years amid daily sniper fire, shelling and lack of gas during winter. Those were the consequences of the Russian Federation’s violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said, while thanking the OSCE for its monitoring of ceasefire violations.
Similarly, Ukraine’s representative said the situation in conflict-affected areas of his country remained volatile and unpredictable, adding: “Escalation is possible any time the Russian Federation considers it politically necessary or convenient.” Instead of implementing the Minsk commitments in good faith, that country had resorted to political and military provocation, blackmail and political pressure, he emphasized. Resolving the crisis in and around Ukraine would require not only a peaceful resolution in Donbas, but also an end to the occupation of Crimea, he stressed, voicing interest in a sustained OSCE focus on practical implementation of the Counter-Terrorism Declaration, as well as the strengthening of border security.
Other speakers today included representatives of Kazakhstan, Bolivia, Japan, Sweden, China, Italy, Ethiopia, France, Uruguay, Senegal and Egypt.
The meeting began at 10:09 a.m. and ended at 11:40 a.m.
