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Lavrov, OSCE secretary general discuss OSCE role in settlement in Ukraine

Specific attention was also paid to the effect of the developments in Afghanistan on the OSCE region

MOSCOW, December 2. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid discussed the role of the organization in the settlement of the crisis in Ukraine as well as the situation in Afghanistan and its effect on the OSCE region, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Thursday.

"A meeting of Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov with OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid (Germany) was held on December 2 on the sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Stockholm. <…> Specific attention was paid to the role of the organization in facilitating the settlement of the internal crisis in Ukraine, as well as the effect of the developments in Afghanistan on the OSCE region," the report said.

The sides confirmed the important role of the OSCE as a platform for making consensus-based decisions. Lavrov and Schmid also stressed the need for heightening the role of the European security agency.

The top diplomat and the OSCE secretary general "confirmed the importance of the organization as the platform for discussing and taking collective decisions based on consensus. The need was emphasized to restore the culture of a dialogue based on mutual respect, to raise the effectiveness and authority of the OSCE," the ministry said.