It is noted that in Belgrade the meeting of the head of Russian foreign Ministry Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish colleague Mevlut Cavusoglu.
BELGRADE, 3 Dec. The Russian foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on December 3-4, in Belgrade will take part in the meeting of foreign Ministers of the Organization for security and cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The current Ministerial Council is held in the anniversary of the organization for the year and comes amid ongoing debate around the process of “Helsinki plus 40”. In addition to the activities of the Council of foreign Ministers Lavrov will hold a number of bilateral meetings, including with U.S. Secretary of state John Kerry and the head of European diplomacy Federica Mogherini. One of the main intrigues of the the question remains, will the meeting between Lavrov and his Turkish colleague Mevlut Cavusoglu. On Wednesday, the Russian Minister stated that Russia is ready “to provide”, and he “avoid contact” will not.
The OSCE and the decision of the “main tasks”
Immediately upon arrival in Belgrade Lavrov met with the OSCE Chairman — foreign Minister of Serbia Ivica Dacic, in which he stated that Moscow “highly appreciates” the role of Belgrade in the development of the organization. Later at a joint press approach the Russian Minister expressed hope that the participants of the forthcoming meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council will focus on developing common approaches to the solution of the main for all problems.
“The recognition of the need to return to the fundamental norms and principles of the OSCE largely due to the fact that more and more perceived common threat — the threat of terrorism. I really hope that all the participants of those Ministerial meetings in the next two days there will be held, to set aside all the secondary and will focus on developing common approaches to solving the most important for all countries without exception,” Lavrov said at a press conference.
According to him, it is about the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking and the drug industry, “which feeds financial terrorism”. “This definition of the true reasons of crisis with migrants, which swept through Europe. This protection of Christians, prohibiting any discrimination on religious, ethnic grounds, whether it is Islamophobia or anti-Semitism. This consolidation of efforts, dialogue between civilizations, which are presented in the OSCE area and in the regions surrounding the OSCE had indeed become a milestone in the development of our General approaches in solving global problems,” added the Russian Minister.
One of the priorities of the upcoming Ministerial Council should also be addressing the issue of media freedom, he said. Moscow previously expressed the hope that it will be possible to agree upon the nomination of the new representative in this area — instead of Dunja Mijatovic, the mandate of which expires in 2016. To its activity on this post has accumulated a lot of claims.
“He (Institute of special representative on freedom of the media) is clearly according to those requirements of life,” said the Russian Minister.
The Ukrainian crisis
One of the key issues of the meeting will be the situation in Ukraine, in particular the work of the Special monitoring mission (SMM) of the OSCE in the East of the country and the negotiations within the contact group.
As noted in the Russian foreign Ministry says contact group “is a unique platform for direct dialogue between Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk, with the mediation of the OSCE and Russia”. As for SMM, Moscow has consistently advocated a “capacity-building missions”.
“We intend to continue to support its personnel (now in 37 Russian SMM observers), the financial and technical means. The Russian side agreed to the extension of the mandate of the OSCE observers on the Russian-Ukrainian border checkpoints “Donetsk” and “Gukovo” until 31 January 2016,” — said in Russian depodesta. It is emphasized that the need to expand the mandate of the OSCE observers now no.
“Special monitoring mission (SMM) of the OSCE in Ukraine is designed to address the following key objectives: compliance with the ceasefire, the facilitation of the exchange of prisoners, assistance in the investigation of violations of humanitarian law and human rights, including mass graves discovered, and the cases of use of prohibited weapons. We must not forget that the SMM to promote national dialogue in Ukraine”, — said the Russian foreign Ministry.
The Helsinki process
An important step in the process of enhancing the OSCE’s role was to be agreed in 2015, the anniversary of the Declaration, which summed the result, under the reform of the organization and prescribe the fundamental principles of security and cooperation in new conditions.
The draft Declaration “Helsinki plus 40” was adopted at the OSCE Ministerial Council in December 2013 in Kiev. However, by August 1, 2015 to agree on an outcome document failed. Then Russia’s permanent representative to the OSCE Andrey Kelin said that because of certain members of the organization was made “stupid” pause and you will need to look for new ways of reforming the OSCE.
In Moscow Express hope that the efforts of Serbia to start the process of “Helsinki + 40” will help to bring the organization out of crisis.
“Unfortunately, because of the continued inertia of previous approaches on all the issues tabled will be able to reach consensus decisions. But what has been able to negotiate, reflects the tremendous work that was done to the Serbian chairmanship for all this time. And the efforts that Serbia has made in order to run a process called “Helsinki + 40″, I am convinced will provide additional chances that we will be able to withdraw the OSCE from the system crisis,” Lavrov said on Wednesday.
To continue work in this direction will Berlin: under the current Ministerial Council is the OSCE chairmanship will be transferred from Serbia to Germany.
Vstrecha with the foreign Minister of Turkey
Lavrov will also hold in Belgrade a number of bilateral meetings, including with Kerry, Mogherini, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Torbjern Jagland, the foreign Minister of Italy Paolo Gentiloni and, possibly, with Cavusoglu. The Russian Minister said that “avoid contact” will not.
“As to the possibility of meeting with Minister of foreign Affairs of Turkey, in response to the urgent request of the Turkish side such a meeting we are ready to provide on the margins of the Belgrade Ministerial Council. We want to understand what our Turkish partners so urgently seeking meetings I can say beyond what they’ve already said publicly. It will be sad if anything new we will not hear” — Lavrov said on Wednesday.
The questions that the Russian side expects to hear “new” responses, touch and shot down a Turkish fighter planes Russian su-24 and published on Wednesday Russian defense of the facts of illegal supply of oil by terrorists from the “Islamic state” (DAYS) in Turkey. Lavrov stressed that Moscow will present these data in the United Nations where the security Council had already adopted a resolution prohibiting oil trade with terrorist groups.
The Russian Minister added that the OSCE will investigate these facts. “As for the question whether to launch an international investigation into these facts, including under the auspices of the OSCE, the answer is that the OSCE, in principle, not engaged in the investigations, and probably here rather than start a long investigation procedure, how much to make obvious to all, without exception, to block the Turkish-Syrian border,” he said.
