MOSCOW, January 17. /TASS/. Russia strives to develop a balanced agenda for the next meeting of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Ministerial Council, which will be hosted by Poland, Permanent Representative of Russia to the OCSE Alexander Lukashevich stated on Monday.
"The way how the Polish authorities manage to prepare the Ministerial Council meeting in Lodz in early December 2022, will largely depend on how our organization will further develop," the Russian diplomat noted. "I would like to emphasize that Russia will strive for a very balanced agenda of the ministerial meeting, during this year, we will be trying to convince our Polish colleagues to work more dynamically, conceptually, and act in the interests of European security.
As the Russian envoy pointed out, Polish top diplomat Zbigniew Rau said that the host country’s Chairmanship would act in line with the principles of the Helsinki Final Act, and international law, in trying to take into account the overall set of opinions and interests of other member states.
"This brings hope that Russia’s interests will be considered. The program put forward by Rau, in general, looks quite balanced - it contains all the major and key elements in three security-related areas. However, we will rely on specific actions, not on the voiced goals," the diplomat insisted.
The Ministerial Council is the OSCE’s central decision-making body aimed at addressing security issues and existing threats, strengthening trust, and improving cooperation in Europe. The meeting is convened once a year by the country which chairs the organization. On January 1, 2022, the OSCE chairmanship passed to Polish top diplomat Zbigniew Rau.