Criticism of Russia for obstructing the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

Many OSCE members accuse Russia of paralyzing the organization’s work. This was reported by “SPIEGEL”, “ZDF” and “Standard”. According to the German Foreign Ministry, Russia is abusing the principle of unanimity endorsed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. According to the report, the United States also views Russian diplomats within the OSCE as a clear security risk.

Ukraine’s ambassador to the OSCE, Yevgeny Tsymbalyuk, speaks of an “existential crisis caused by Russia”. The Standard newspaper quoted him as saying the entire organization was in danger of collapse. Ukraine calls for the suspension of Russia’s membership.

The decision on the presidency is pending

The OSCE was established in 1995 and is headquartered in Vienna, and is the largest regional security organization in the world. The lack of consensus among the 57 member states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has repeatedly delayed important decisions since last year. All decisions must be taken by consensus.

The decision on which country will hold the presidency in the future is still pending. Estonia has applied to run for president in 2024, but Russia has refused to endorse the former Soviet republic, which is critical of the Kremlin.

Fear of penetration of secret services

Not only is Moscow obstructing decisions, it has also largely stopped making payments to the organization. According to “Spiegel” information, the amounts owed exceed ten million euros.

There are also fears of Russian agents infiltrating the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. According to the findings of Western intelligence services, Russia repeatedly uses international organizations to “mythologise” the employees of its secret service, according to the “Standard”.

However, some suspicious individuals have already been withdrawn. In the case of the high-ranking employee of the OSCE Secretariat, who is also the wife of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in charge of Ukraine, this was clarified in June 2022 for special reasons, according to APA information.