Russia, Belarus may bring OSCE to collapse next year, Finland warns
Russia’s and Belarus’s reluctance to approve Estonia's chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in 2024 may lead to its crisis and collapse, Finnish foreign minister Pekka Haavisto believes.
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"If there is no chairman in 2024 and there is no consensus on this issue, then next year will be the year of the destruction of the OSCE as an organisation," he told Finnish broadcaster Yle, adding that "the situation is serious."
The OSCE chairmanship is rotating, with all 57 member states approving the new chairperson-in-office as usual.
In 2024, Estonia is due to hold the chairmanship, but Russia and Belarus, which are also OSCE members, are now refusing to vote on it.
Meanwhile, Estonia is not withdrawing its candidacy.
The OSCE is still looking for ways to keep itself functioning because of Russia, which has refused to cooperate but can veto any decision.
The organisation, which includes both Ukraine and Russia, has long been stalled over its consensus decision-making, effectively giving Moscow a leverage.
Last November, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, called for Russia’s expulsion from the OSCE.