Ukraine has announced a boycott of a meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe scheduled to be held in North Macedonia this week.
"Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will boycott the meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), in connection with the decision to allow Lavrov to attend," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said today, referring to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
This year's OSCE foreign ministers' meeting takes place in the capital Skopje, North Macedonia, on November 30 and December 1. Foreign Minister Lavrov said on November 27 that he plans to visit Skopje and has asked Bulgaria and North Macedonia to open their airspace.
“If possible, we will be there,” said Lavrov, whose country is on the European Union’s sanctions list in response to Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. Bulgaria, a member of the EU, later approved Lavrov’s plane to fly over to Skopje.
Ukraine has called for Russia to be expelled from the organization, saying Moscow has "launched the largest war in Europe since the end of World War II." The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania also announced today that their foreign ministers would not attend the OSCE conference, in protest at Mr Lavrov's presence.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at a press conference in Kiev on September 11. Photo: AFP
The OSCE has 57 members from North America, Europe and Asia. The West often describes the OSCE as an important forum for former Cold War enemies Russia and the US to participate.
North Macedonia currently holds the rotating presidency of the OSCE, a position originally planned for Estonia but met with opposition from Russia. Malta, a neutral EU member state, was agreed to replace Estonia.
Nhu Tam (According to Reuters, AFP )
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