OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ann Linde discusses OSCE agenda with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov in Moscow

MOSCOW, 3 February 2021 — The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ann Linde, met on Tuesday with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov during her official visit to Moscow. Various issues that affect security in the OSCE region were on the agenda.

“On my second foreign visit as Chairperson-in-Office I have had the opportunity to present the priorities of the chairpersonship. Together with my colleague Foreign Minister Lavrov, we have identified areas where we see potential for co-operation in order to make a real difference on the ground in the OSCE region,” said Linde.

She stressed that conflict resolution is a strong priority for Sweden as Chair and that a large part of her talks with Minister Lavrov focused on the ongoing conflicts and crises in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Belarus. “We agreed on the need for a continued active OSCE engagement.”

“As Chairperson-in-Office, I will work to get continued engagement at the highest levels, to find sustainable solutions to crises and conflicts. This has to be done in line with international law and with full respect for the OSCE principles and commitments,” she said.

Given recent events in Russia and the mass detention of protesters, the Chairperson-in-Office also underlined the importance of all OSCE participating States living up to their commitments in the human dimension. “As agreed at the Astana summit, lasting security cannot be achieved without respect for human rights”, said Linde.

The Chairperson-in-Office also met with representatives of Russian civil society to discuss the situation on human rights and democracy in Russia, as well as the meaningful inclusion of women in all peace- and conflict-related processes. “During our deliberations, we have discussed the emphasis I have placed on strengthening gender equality in all aspects of the work of the OSCE. The Women Peace and Security agenda is one of those aspects, as is women's economic empowerment,” Chairperson-in-Office Linde said.