An archive photo of Belarus' Ministry of Foreign Affairs
MINSK, 2 April (BelTA) - Belarus has called for the restoration of inclusiveness in the structured dialogue of the OSCE, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At the meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation in Vienna on 2 April, the Belarusian permanent mission commented on the report of the chairperson of the Informal Working Group of the OSCE Structured Dialogue. The delegation recalled that the original goal of this format within the OSCE was to reduce confrontation and restore confidence through an inclusive and comprehensive approach.
Belarus expressed concern that, as indicated in the report, consultations had been held with only a number of delegations, without explaining why Belarus and Russia had been excluded from the discussions. Such selective participation, in Minsk's view, undermines trust between participating states and contributes to the formation of new dividing lines in the OSCE.
The delegation also drew attention to the fact that, despite the discussion of Chapter III of the Vienna Document 2011 (“Risk Reduction”), the report did not mention the continued blocking by Western countries of activities aimed at its practical application, including the annual meetings of the heads of verification centers.
Moreover, Belarus criticized the inclusion of non-consensual and non-military-political elements in the structured dialogue toolkit. The delegation recalled the provisions of the declaration of the 2016 Hamburg meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council, which emphasized the political and military orientation of this dialogue.
In conclusion, Belarus called on the Dutch Chairmanship as well as future moderators of the working group to abandon a discriminatory approach and to return the structured dialogue to a professional, inclusive and depoliticized direction, especially at the level of military experts.
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