Finland does not rule out the collapse of the OSCE
The possibility of the OSCE disintegration due to the refusal of Russia and Belarus to approve Estonia's chairmanship is real.
This view was expressed by Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, Yle reports.
"If no chairman is appointed in 2024 and there is no agreement on this issue, next year could be the year of the OSCE's destruction as an organization," Haavisto said.
Security and cooperation in Europe
It should be noted that the organization's charter stipulates that the chairmanship, which passes from one member state to another, must be approved by all 57 member states.
But this year, Russia and Belarus did not recognize Estonia's candidacy for the chairmanship for next year, and Estonia itself is not trying to withdraw its candidacy.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was established in 1994 in Budapest, when a series of meetings on European security and cooperation issues led to the creation of an independent organization.
The first meeting dedicated to security and cooperation in Europe was held in 1975 in Helsinki on the initiative of Finland and personally by Finnish President Urho Kekkonen.
It is known that the OSCE is the only European security alliance that includes Europe, Russia, the United States, and Ukraine, and its main goal is conflict prevention, peace monitoring, and election observation.
At the same time, Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister Mantas Adomenas argues that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in its current state is ineffective. It will remain so as long as it includes aggressor states such as Russia and Belarus.
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