MINSK, July 30. /TASS/. Over the past decade, the OSCE's peacekeeping activities yielded no tangible progress, with all efforts in the post-Soviet space failing, Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Sekreta told the BelTA news agency in an interview. He emphasized that NATO has been striving for decades to position itself as a security guarantor in Europe, a goal that starkly contradicts the principles of stability and peace outlined in the Helsinki Final Act and other key OSCE documents, including the Charter for European Security.
The diplomat pointed out that the OSCE is progressively being sidelined in security matters, focusing mainly on humanitarian issues and increasingly duplicating the efforts of other European organizations. "The OSCE's peacekeeping activities over the past decade have not produced any tangible results. On the contrary, the OSCE has failed in all its peacekeeping attempts in the post-Soviet space," Sekreta remarked.
He also criticized the organization's growing tendency to interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign states, leading to the erosion of its interstate framework. "Rather than fostering constructive interaction among participating states, the OSCE has invited marginal and even extremist NGOs and so-called civil society representatives to its events," he said. Sekreta further noted that the organization is increasingly becoming a platform for political confrontations, with its structures serving more as instruments of pressure than of genuine cooperation.
Nevertheless, Sekreta acknowledged that the OSCE remains the only forum uniting North America, Europe, and the post-Soviet space. "It is this inclusiveness that must be preserved and leveraged to reignite dialogue. Belarus believes it is time for a profound reassessment of the OSCE's mission. The organization needs reforms to restore its original principles of consensus, depoliticization, and inclusivity," he stated.
Eurasian Charter
Regarding Eurasian security, Sekreta recalled that at the upcoming Second Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security in the fall of 2024, proposals for a Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century was presented for international discussion. This document aims to enshrine respect for each country's cultural, political, and economic choices, emphasizing opposition to sanction pressures, ideological segregation, and the forced imposition of development models.
He clarified that this charter is intended not as an alternative to existing structures but as a conceptual bridge across ideological divides. "It could serve as the foundation for constructing a Eurasian security architecture and shaping a fair multipolar global order. It might also become a topic of dialogue within the OSCE framework, especially if we aim to rekindle the spirit of Helsinki in Europe," Sekreta said. A section dedicated to progress in this area will also be included in the upcoming third Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security this fall.