At the 31th OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Baiba Braže, condemned Russia’s illegal full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine and highlighted the role of the OSCE for Ukraine’s security.
In her statement at the plenary session, Baiba Braže underlined: “Russia’s politics is war. Russia will not stop – Russia must be constrained and stopped. For more than ten years – since 2014 – the Ukrainian people have suffered from brutal aggression by Russia. For more than 1000 days, Russia has perpetrated heinous crimes in its imperial war against Ukraine showing blatant disregard for the international law and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine reported that the Russian authorities have committed torture. That is a crime against humanity. The OSCE experts have reported on serious human rights violations and pointed to evidence of war crimes by Russia. All of these findings must be brought before international tribunals. We commend the work already done by the Core Group on the establishment of a Special Tribunal. Persecuting Russia’s crimes of aggression and the trial of perpetrators is a matter for all countries, so as not to be complicit in these crimes. At the OSCE, we all the participating States have the duty to speak out for the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity. We must continue supporting Ukraine until victory is achieved.”
As the Russian representative started delivering his speech, the Latvian Foreign Minister left the plenary hall, thereby demonstrating the attitude towards aggressor country Russia: “I will not stay and listen to the aggressor’s lies about our friends and allies, I will not show the aggressor such honour.”
Baiba Braže commended the efforts by the Core Group on the Establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. She called on the other OSCE participating States to support it.
In a meeting in support of Ukraine held on 4 December in the evening, Baiba Braže voiced Latvia’s support for gathering facts and collecting evidence to document Russia’s crimes in Ukraine, which is necessary to hold the perpetrators accountable.
The Foreign Minister underlined the importance of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism, under which, independent experts are appointed to assess the human rights situation in a particular country. 25 April 2024 saw the publication of the most recent expert Report on Violations and Abuses of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law, War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity, related to the Arbitrary Deprivation of Liberty of Ukrainian Civilians by the Russian Federation. One of the three mission experts who prepared the report is Elīna Šteinerte from Latvia.
Baiba Braže expressed her support for the OSCE’s Support Programme for Ukraine, while stressing the need to make it more effective. She emphasised the current need for all forms of military, financial and humanitarian assistance, as well as strong international diplomatic support to ensure Ukraine with the strongest possible positions on the battlefield. “The OSCE should make more active use of the instruments available to achieve justice for the people of Ukraine,” Baiba Braže noted.
The representatives of Russia and Belarus were not invited to participate in the discussion at the meeting in support of Ukraine.
Officials addressed geopolitical challenges, including the political crisis in Georgia, the situation in Belarus, and others.
Baiba Braže exchanged views with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, on Latvia’s further assistance to Ukraine, including delivery issues. The Minister will also have several bilateral meetings and a meeting in the NB8 format.
The Foreign Minister took part in the meeting with ministers from OSCE participating States and other senior officials, including all Nordic ministers, as well as the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Britain, the US, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Luxembourg.
The OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting takes place on 4 and 5 December and is organised by the country currently holding the organisation’s Chairpersonship – this year, it is Malta. Finland will take over the OSCE Chairpersonship in 2025.
About the OSCE
- The OSCE is the world’s largest regional security organization, bringing together 57 European, Asian and North American countries. The organisation follows a comprehensive approach to security and addresses politico-military matters, and those of economic and environmental security and human rights. The OSCE pursues political dialogue to promote peace, stability and democracy.
- The previous meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council was held in Skopje, under the Chairpersonship of North Macedonia.
- Latvia joined the OSCE on 10 September 1991.
- The OSCE Ministerial Council meetings are convened once a year in the country holding the OSCE Chairpersonship. The Ministerial Council is composed of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the OSCE participating States and is the central decision-making and governing body of the Organization. Joint decisions taken by the participating States at the highest-level meetings are consensus-based.
About the Moscow Mechanism
- The Moscow Mechanism is an OSCE instrument providing the option of sending missions of experts to assist participating States in the resolution of a particular question relating to the human dimension. On 3 March 2022, 45 OSCE participating States, including Latvia, following consultations with Ukraine, invoked the so-called OSCE “Moscow Mechanism” demanding an independent mission of experts be set up in order to address the human rights and humanitarian impacts of the Russian Federation’s invasion, supported by Belarus, on the people of Ukraine,
The OSCE Extra-budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine, SPU
- The OSCE Secretariat Extra-budgetary (ExB) Support Programme for Ukraine (SPU) was launched in order to address the challenges to civilians posed by the war against Ukraine, and to further support the Ukrainian institutions. The SPU is comprised of more than 20 projects covering a wide range of areas – humanitarian demining, addressing chemical threats, monitoring of environmental damage from the war, protection of displaced persons from risks of trafficking in human beings, among other fields.
- Latvia voluntary contributions to the programme, the most recent being 100,000 euros in November 2024.
About a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/latvianmfa/albums/72177720322373600/
