The meeting was an opportunity to discuss issues currently debated within the organisation, in particular Russia’s military activity along the Ukrainian border, as well as the human rights situation, including that of the Polish minority in Belarus.

Minister Rau described Poland’s preparations to take over the OSCE’s chairmanship in 2022 and noted that over that period Warsaw will ensure political leadership and draw on the achievements of previous OSCE chairmanships. “As the future Chairmanship country, we are interested in close cooperation with the OSCE Secretariat, the Troika (Sweden and North Macedonia), and all OSCE participating States,” added the chief of Polish diplomacy.

As part of her visit to the MFA, the Secretary General also met with Undersecretary of State Marcin Przydacz. Besides the situation in the OSCE’s specific areas of engagement, Secretary Schmid focused on a range of challenges currently faced by the organisation, both in its political and financial dimension.

While discussing the OSCE’s eastern engagement, Deputy Minister Przydacz stressed that the human rights situation in Belarus should feature prominently on the OSCE agenda and that unity of the participating States is crucial in this regard. In the context of Ukraine, he pointed out that Russia’s actions, which are currently destabilising the security situation across the region, provide yet another argument for maintaining international solidarity, including within the OSCE framework. During the talks, both sides also discussed the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh and welcomed the political developments in Moldova and its significant potential for reforms and socio-economic changes. Deputy Minister Przydacz highlighted Moldova’s geopolitical importance on the map of Central and Eastern Europe.

During her Warsaw visit, the OSCE Secretary General also met with the Polish President and a delegation of the Sejm and Senate to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

 

MFA Press Office

 Photo: Tymon Markowski / MFA