MINSK, 5 December (BelTA) - Belarus and Russia made a joint statement at the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Vienna regarding the departure of the OSCE Structured Dialogue from the understandings enshrined in the declaration of the 2016 Hamburg OSCE Ministerial Council, BelTA has learned.
Proceeding from the inviolability of the fundamental elements of this mechanism, including the sovereign equality of participating states, conducting work in a non-discriminatory format, and the consensus-based principle of decision-making, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of transparency, collective involvement and responsibility for the development of the dialogue, inclusivity, constructiveness, and respect for differing viewpoints. These principles were proposed by the co-chairs of the informal working group on the Structured Dialogue.
“Their implementation is only possible under the condition that the Structured Dialogue remains open to all 57 participating states. We believe that diverting the work into the realm of so-called 'small groups' is erroneous. According to the OSCE rules of procedure, any informal working groups are open-ended bodies, and all their activities must be open to all participating states without exception. Persisting with this divisive line risks deepening existing contradictions and destroying the remnants of collegial work within the OSCE,” the statement reads.
Belarus and Russia are convinced that any serious, result-oriented dialogue on the military-political aspects of security is only possible in the format of all 57 participating states and must be based on specific postulates. This includes a commitment to developing equal and mutually beneficial interstate relations; the fundamental principle of equal and indivisible security, according to which no state, group of states, or organization should strengthen its security at the expense of the security of others; adherence to international law based on the full and interrelated norms of the UN Charter; the unacceptability of sanctions, dividing lines, and double standards; the establishment of a de-ideologized, pragmatic dialogue to discuss current challenges and a joint search for balanced solutions; the eradication of the root causes of the crisis in the OSCE region and fundamental security contradictions and the development of mutually acceptable mechanisms for maintaining the sustainability of a future model of peaceful coexistence based on the mutual consideration of interests.
“We call upon the co-chairs of the informal working group on the Structured Dialogue to refrain from discriminatory practices that contravene OSCE rules of procedure and to bring this platform back to a professional, mutually respectful, and depoliticized dialogue based on the principle of inclusivity to overcome the division within the OSCE,” the joint statement emphasized.
The Structured Dialogue is a process launched in accordance with the document adopted at the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Hamburg on 9 December 2016 “From Lisbon to Hamburg: Declaration on the Twentieth Anniversary of the OSCE Framework for Arms Control”. It envisions discussions on current and future security challenges and threats in the OSCE area. Meetings within the framework of the Structured Dialogue have been held in the format of an informal working group under the auspices of the OSCE's decision-making bodies: the Permanent Council and the Forum for Security Co-operation.
Belarus actively participated in meetings of the informal working group, emphasizing the importance of this format for correcting erroneous perceptions and reducing military-political tensions through professional and depoliticized contacts among military experts.
Since 2022, discussions within the Structured Dialogue have been paused.
Proceeding from the inviolability of the fundamental elements of this mechanism, including the sovereign equality of participating states, conducting work in a non-discriminatory format, and the consensus-based principle of decision-making, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of transparency, collective involvement and responsibility for the development of the dialogue, inclusivity, constructiveness, and respect for differing viewpoints. These principles were proposed by the co-chairs of the informal working group on the Structured Dialogue.
“Their implementation is only possible under the condition that the Structured Dialogue remains open to all 57 participating states. We believe that diverting the work into the realm of so-called 'small groups' is erroneous. According to the OSCE rules of procedure, any informal working groups are open-ended bodies, and all their activities must be open to all participating states without exception. Persisting with this divisive line risks deepening existing contradictions and destroying the remnants of collegial work within the OSCE,” the statement reads.
Belarus and Russia are convinced that any serious, result-oriented dialogue on the military-political aspects of security is only possible in the format of all 57 participating states and must be based on specific postulates. This includes a commitment to developing equal and mutually beneficial interstate relations; the fundamental principle of equal and indivisible security, according to which no state, group of states, or organization should strengthen its security at the expense of the security of others; adherence to international law based on the full and interrelated norms of the UN Charter; the unacceptability of sanctions, dividing lines, and double standards; the establishment of a de-ideologized, pragmatic dialogue to discuss current challenges and a joint search for balanced solutions; the eradication of the root causes of the crisis in the OSCE region and fundamental security contradictions and the development of mutually acceptable mechanisms for maintaining the sustainability of a future model of peaceful coexistence based on the mutual consideration of interests.
“We call upon the co-chairs of the informal working group on the Structured Dialogue to refrain from discriminatory practices that contravene OSCE rules of procedure and to bring this platform back to a professional, mutually respectful, and depoliticized dialogue based on the principle of inclusivity to overcome the division within the OSCE,” the joint statement emphasized.
The Structured Dialogue is a process launched in accordance with the document adopted at the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Hamburg on 9 December 2016 “From Lisbon to Hamburg: Declaration on the Twentieth Anniversary of the OSCE Framework for Arms Control”. It envisions discussions on current and future security challenges and threats in the OSCE area. Meetings within the framework of the Structured Dialogue have been held in the format of an informal working group under the auspices of the OSCE's decision-making bodies: the Permanent Council and the Forum for Security Co-operation.
Belarus actively participated in meetings of the informal working group, emphasizing the importance of this format for correcting erroneous perceptions and reducing military-political tensions through professional and depoliticized contacts among military experts.
Since 2022, discussions within the Structured Dialogue have been paused.
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