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Russian Foreign Minister and OSCE Secretary General to discuss organization’s agenda

Particular attention will be paid to the situation in Ukraine, in particular, to the work of the Contact Group, in which representatives of the Russian Federation and the OSCE are assisting Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk in the implementation of the Minsk package of measures

MOSCOW, June 21. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will hold talks with the Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Helga Schmid in Moscow on Monday.

For Schmid this visit to Russia will be the first in the capacity of the organization's secretary general. She will be in the capital to participate in the ninth Moscow conference on international security at the invitation of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

The talks will focus on a wide range of issues related to the OSCE's work in three areas: military-political, economic-environmental and humanitarian. Lavrov and Schmid also plan to discuss pressing common European problems, the current activities of the OSCE and the organization's work plans in the second half of 2021.

In particular, the parties are expected to discuss the OSCE's activities to assist in resolving regional conflicts, the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, challenges in cyberspace, as well as the organization's interaction with the CSTO, the CIS and the SCO.

Particular attention will be paid to the situation in Ukraine, in particular, to the work of the Contact Group, in which representatives of the Russian Federation and the OSCE are assisting Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk in the implementation of the Minsk package of measures.

On the eve of the meeting the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that Moscow plans to call on the OSCE leadership to influence Kiev, which sabotages the implementation of the Minsk package of measures and evades dialogue with Donetsk and Lugansk.

In addition, at the talks, Russia plans to comment on the organization's reports on the activities of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine. The diplomatic service pointed out that OSCE observers are in no hurry to confirm data on casualties and damage to civilian objects in Donbass, despite the fact that the mission's mandate extends to the entire territory of Ukraine. In addition, the organization pays insufficient attention to the situation with the violation of human rights and the situation of national minorities in Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated.

Lavrov and Schmid will also consider issues related to OSCE assistance in resolving conflicts in Transnistria and Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as mediation of the organization in the Geneva discussions on stability in the Caucasus, its activities in the Balkans and Central Asia.

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