Germany Harsh criticism of Lavrov's participation in OSCE meeting
Russia's chief diplomat Sergei Lavrov's participation in the ministerial meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Malta is causing fierce criticism.
05.12.2024, 15:54
SDA
Following his appearance at the first session, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock accused Lavrov of "intolerable lies" about the war in Ukraine. Her US colleague Antony Blinken joined in and spoke of a "disinformation tsunami".
Lavrov had previously accused the West of being responsible for the emergence of a new Cold War. This could enter a "hot stage", he said. He also claimed that Western states had fomented the war in Ukraine and taken control of the OSCE.
Lavrov warned against destroying the OSCE because it no longer provided any room for solving problems. For example, it could have played a role in the investigation into the blowing up of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines from Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany, Lavrov said at the meeting. "The West is doing everything it can to undermine their right to exist," he later told journalists.
During Lavrov's speech, Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski left the room. He announced beforehand that he did not want to sit at the same table as Lavrov. Several media outlets unanimously reported that representatives from the Czech Republic, Ukraine and the three Baltic states also left the room.
Lavrov in the EU for the first time since 2021
It is the first time since the start of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine almost three years ago that the Russian top diplomat has traveled to an EU country. Lavrov last visited an EU country at the end of 2021, also for an OSCE ministerial meeting. When the OSCE met in Lodz, Poland, in December 2022, Warsaw denied Lavrov entry, although the EU sanctions imposed on him in February 2022 did not ban him from entering the country.
The OSCE is considered one of the few dialog forums for security and democracy policy in which Western representatives sit at the same table as Russia. Unlike several other European institutions, Russia has not withdrawn from the OSCE. Moscow sees the organization as a platform to disseminate its own positions on the war.
Baerbock with harsh criticism of Lavrov
In her speech, Baerbock sharply criticized the Russian Foreign Minister for his statements. Previously, Lavrov questioned the Russian massacre in the Kiev suburb of Butsha and spoke of "corpses that were neatly laid out and draped and then presented to the world by BBC correspondents".
With regard to the work of the OSCE, Baerbock accused Russia of playing a "cynical game". "Just as Russia uses bombs and drones to target peace and security in Europe, Putin is also taking the axe to the OSCE," the Green politician told journalists. As Russia's representative in Malta, she did not want to leave the stage to Lavrov without comment.
Sybiha: No compromises on territorial integrity
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha is also taking part in the two-day conference on the Mediterranean island. In his speech, Sybiha addressed Lavrov as "the war criminal at this table" without naming him. "Our peace plan is: Russia should leave Ukraine and leave us alone," he said. Sybiha emphasized: "There will be no compromise on our territorial integrity, sovereignty or future security."
Opposition to Lavrov's appearance had already arisen among some of the 57 OSCE member states in the run-up to the conference. Some countries had previously declared that their ministers would not attend the meeting in protest. On the evening before the meeting, the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania ensured that the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, was denied a visa to enter the country.
OSCE in deep crisis
The organization has been in a deep crisis since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Russia has vetoed several important decisions that require consensus. The other member states accuse Moscow of undermining and blocking the work of the OSCE.
For three years, the organization's budget has only been managed provisionally. In addition, the OSCE's four top posts, including that of Secretary General, have been vacant since September. After Helga Schmid's term of office, the member states were unable to agree on a proper successor.
The meeting in Malta will last two days. A decision on the budget and an agreement on the vacant top posts is expected on Friday.
