All news

Diplomat calls on OSCE not to ignore glorification of Nazism, falsification of history

Human rights activities within the OSCE are facing increasing politicization and confrontation, according to the senior diplomat

WARSAW, September 16. /TASS/. A high-ranking Russian Foreign Ministry official has called on the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) not to ignore the problem of glorification of Nazism and falsification of history.

"Falsification of World War II history, propagation of neo-Nazism, xenophobia, religious intolerance and vandalism have become everyday practice in Ukraine. This situation, to a certain extent, stems from the connivance at similar violations in the Baltic countries. Former SS veterans gather for marches in Latvia and Estonia annually and ‘non-titular’ population is positioned as a threat to national security. It is inadmissible to hush up the shameful phenomenon of non-citizenship," Rinat Alyautdinov, director of the ministry’s Humanitarian Cooperation and Human Rights Department, said on Monday at the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting.

The OSCE "must not stand on the sidelines when the basics of the present-day human rights system built on the Nuremberg trials’ resolutions are being broken down," he stressed. "The 75th anniversary of the end of World War II that is to be marked in 2020 is a good stimulus to build up consolidated efforts to counter glorification of Nazism, manifestations of neo-Nazism and falsification of history."

Problem of politicized activities in human rights field

Human rights activities within the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) are currently facing increasing politicization and confrontation, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department for Humanitarian Cooperation and Human Rights Rinat Alyautdinov said, addressing the opening session of the 2019 OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting.

"The level of politicization and confrontation has greatly increased. Human rights often serve as an excuse for attempts to interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries and achieve political goals," he pointed out.

"A number of systemic problems concerning the OSCE’s activities are still there, including an imbalance related to geography and issues that the Organization tackles, as well as a lack of comprehensive evaluation of the human rights situation throughout the OSCE area. Attempts to consider issues that have nothing to do with human rights from a humanitarian standpoint only worsen the situation. Such an attitude leads to unreasonably expanded interpretations of decisions made by the Organization’s governing bodies and runs counter to the principle of consensus, which is what the OSCE is based on," the Russian delegation’s head emphasized.

According to Alyautdinov, the same principle "guides the OSCE’s executive bodies that should ensure the transparency of their activities and report to member states." "These activities should comply with the decisions of the OSCE’s collective bodies and approved mandates," he noted.

Call for elaboration of OSCE common election monitoring methodology

The high-ranking Russian Foreign Ministry official has called on the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to elaborate a common methodology of election monitoring.

"We insist that a common election monitoring methodology be elaborated and agreed with all the member nations. This methodology should take into account new challenges in this sphere," Rinat Alyautdinov said on Monday at the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting.