OSCE Secretary General did not support the idea of ​​excluding Russia from the organization

It makes sense for Russia to continue to be a member of the OSCE, as channels of communication will be needed in the future to build a European security architecture. This was stated by OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid in an interview with Die Welt newspaper.

“Unlike the Council of Europe, the OSCE does not have a suspension mechanism that could be used to exclude the Russian Federation. Keeping diplomatic channels open does not mean unity [позиций]. From today’s point of view, I think it makes sense for Russia to remain a member of the OSCE,” she said.

Schmid added that communication channels will again be needed in the future, including to discuss issues on the security architecture on the continent. She noted that the OSCE is the only organization in which “everyone who is important for the European security architecture sits at the same table.”

Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba called for exclusion of the Russian Federation from the OSCE. In the summer of 2022, he predicted the death of the organization if Russia remained in its composition.

At the same time, the Russian authorities have repeatedly criticized the OSCE. At the end of December, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declaredthat the West has turned the organization “into the arena of propaganda battles.” In early December, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also accused OSCE in the systematic destruction of the principle of consensus in the organization.