I thank the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden Ann Linde for taking the challenging task of leading the OSCE this year. I am sure this will be a natural continuation of Sweden’s dedicated work in the Security Council. Thank you also for briefing us on the Sweden’s Chairpersonship priorities. Estonia absolutely shares your view that multilateral cooperation is the best way to address our common challenges and that we should uphold our common rules and fulfill commitments, including notably those on which the OSCE was founded upon. Respecting the norms and principles of the international law enshrined in the United Nations Charter, as well as the Helsinki Final Act is of utmost importance. Global and regional organizations need to work hand in hand – we stand for stronger cooperation between the OSCE and the United Nations.
We welcome the Swedish Chairpersonship focus on the conflicts in the OSCE region, which constitute threat to international peace and security and contribute to great human suffering. Unfortunately, for the 7th year in a row, the violations of international law and Helsinki principles as well as a number of bilateral and multilateral agreements and commitments, including the Budapest Memorandum continue. The Russian Federation has illegally annexed Crimea and occupied certain parts in eastern Ukraine. We underline Russia’s responsibility as a signatory of the Minsk agreements and urge Russia as a party to the conflict and to the Trilateral Contact Group to implement the provisions that it has committed itself to. We regret that the restrictions posed on the OSCE SMM’s freedom of movement have persisted, notably in non-government-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine, hindering the Mission from fully implementing its mandate. We further call on Russia to stop fueling the conflict by providing financial and military support to the armed formations it backs.
Foreign Minister Ann Linde, how the OSCE and the Security Council could further assist in pushing the steps needed for the solution of the conflict?
On Georgia, I would like to highlight that we are deeply concerned about the Russian military build-up in the occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. We call on the Russian Federation to fulfill its obligations under the Ceasefire Agreement the 12 August 2008 and its subsequent implementing measures of 8 September 2008 and withdraw its military forces from Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions without delay. We are also deeply worried about Russian military exercises, infrastructure reinforcements and borderization activities in the Georgian regions of Abkhasia and South Ossetia. We urge Russia and the de facto authorities it backs to refrain from any new provocative steps which could further escalate already fragile security and humanitarian situation on the ground. In this context, we remind the Russian Federation of its responsibilities in line with the judgment of 21 January 2021 of the European Court of Human Rights in the case Georgia vs Russia. We reiterate our call for access for the EU Monitoring Mission to the whole territory of Georgia as well as for human rights monitoring mechanisms, humanitarian and other civil society organizations.
Estonia supports the efforts of the OSCE Chairperson, her Special Representative and the OSCE Mission to Moldova to resolve the Transnistrian conflict. In addition to confidence building measures we should aim also at resolving the main underlying issues of the conflict. We are carefully following developments on the ground and encourage a result-oriented meeting in the 5+2 format as soon as possible in 2021.
Foreign Minister Ann Linde, on what issues the OSCE would expect to advance in the 5+2 format during this year?
With regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, we continue to support the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ efforts in finding comprehensive and sustainable settlement to the conflict.
Further on, we commend and support the OSCE Chairpersonship offer for dialogue with Belarus, and call on the Belarus authorities to respond to the offer as well as to bring their policies and practices in compliance with their OSCE commitments. We also repeat our call on Belarus to follow-up on the recommendations from the Moscow Mechanism report, as presented in November 2020.
As a crosscutting priority, we must protect and promote human rights. We agree with you Foreign Minister Ann Linde that the link between security and respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law is crystal clear. Upholding human rights is not merely compatible with conflict resolution strategies. It is an essential element in securing peace and democracy. Human rights violations can be an early indicator and driver of conflict and are, regrettably, also their constant feature.
We strongly welcome the focus of the Chairperson-in-office on women, peace and security. We support the work of the OSCE on the implementation of resolution 1325 and see merit in further cooperation and exchange between the UN and OSCE in this regard.
As an expression of the Estonian commitment to the OSCE let me reiterate that the Government of Estonia has confirmed our readiness to assume the role of the OSCE Chairpersonship for 2024.
I thank you.