Time To Rebuild Trust And Confidence On Ground, OSCE Chair Says In Washington, Pledges To Visit South Caucasus

Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as numerous violations of OSCE principles and commitments in recent years in several participating states, have significantly degraded relations among OSCE members, the organization's current chair, Maltese Foreign Minister Ian Borg, stated on Tuesday in Washington D.C, TURAN's U.S. correspondent reports.

"We have collectively failed to implement our common decisions in good faith. As a result, there is growing anxiety among our people, increasing mistrust among states, and weakening confidence in our institutions," Borg said in his testimony before the U.S. Helsinki Commission, a congressional group that monitors human rights and international cooperation in 57 countries.

According to him, the credibility and positioning of the OSCE in the global political and security architecture "remain at stake". 

Beyond Ukraine, the organization's current focus extends to the protracted conflicts within the OSCE region, including the Transnistrian settlement process and the evolving situation in the South Caucasus, he said.

"I'm personally committed to being present on the ground to ensure that we're not just overseeing but actively engaging. My recent visits to Serbia, Kosovo and Moldova as well as upcoming missions to the South Caucasus are part of our concerted effort to listen attentively to our partners and engage in meaningful dialogues ensuring our actions are informed by the perspectives and the needs of relevant stakeholders," he said.

"We are committed to rebuilding trust and confidence on the ground reinforcing OSCE's role as a dynamic force for peace," he went on to add.

With regard to the human dimension, the chair pledged to pursue the path of protecting and promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms, democracy and rule of law. "In a year when over 1 billion people will have an opportunity to participate in electoral processes across the globe we believe that fostering media and information literacy is key to strengthening public resilience, counter disinformation and strengthen our democracies. This is why we chose media literacy as one of our priorities," he said, adding that the safety of journalists is "another key area which we want to reinforce."

Borg also stopped by the State Department on Tuesday, where he met with Secretary Blinken to discuss Malta’s continued efforts to support Ukraine.

They spoke about the challenges posed by China’s support for Russia’s defense-industrial base, which enables Russia to continue its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, amoing other topics, the Department said in its readout of the meeting.