Ukraine boycotts Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe conference

Ukraine has announced a boycott of a meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe scheduled to be held in North Macedonia this week.

"Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will boycott the meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), in connection with the decision to allow Mr. Lavrov to attend," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said today, referring to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

This year's OSCE foreign ministers' meeting will take place in the North Macedonian capital Skopje on November 30 and December 1. Foreign Minister Lavrov said on November 27 that he planned to visit Skopje and had asked Bulgaria and North Macedonia to open their airspace.

“If possible, we will be there,” Lavrov said. The Russian foreign minister is on the European Union’s sanctions list, in response to Moscow’s operation in Ukraine in February 2022. Bulgaria, a member of the EU, later approved the flight of Lavrov to Skopje.

Ukraine has called for Russia to be expelled from the organisation, saying Moscow has "launched the largest war in Europe since the end of World War II". The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania also announced today that their foreign ministers would not attend the OSCE meeting, in protest at Mr Lavrov's presence.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at a press conference in Kiev on September 11. Photo: AFP

The OSCE has 57 members from North America, Europe and Asia. The West often describes the OSCE as an important forum for former Cold War "enemies" Russia and the US to participate.

North Macedonia currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the OSCE. The position was originally planned to be given to Estonia, but Russia objected. Malta, a neutral EU member state, was agreed to replace Estonia.

Nhu Tam (According to Reuters, AFP )

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