OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Linde concludes official visit to Moscow

MOSCOW, 19 November 2021 — The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ann Linde, concluded her second official visit to Moscow today.

During her meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, Chairperson-in-Office Linde underlined the need for a sincere, results-oriented co-operation and a constructive dialogue to address and mitigate the key security threats in the OSCE region. Current issues such as the situation on the border of Belarus and developments with regard to Armenia and Azerbaijan were discussed.

Peaceful and sustainable resolution to conflicts in the region, in line with international law and OSCE commitments and principles, was given high priority during the discussion.

“We held constructive talks on the need to de-escalate tensions in and around Ukraine and ease the hardship for civilians on both sides of the contact line. We owe it to the people in the conflict-affected areas to end violence and prevent further casualties and suffering in eastern Ukraine,” Linde said.

The Chairperson-in-Office also stressed the importance of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM). “As the objective eyes and the ears of the international community on the ground, the Mission’s safe and secure access throughout Ukraine is more important than ever in the current circumstances of heightened tensions,” Linde said.

OSCE commitments on democracy, human rights and the rule of law were also on the agenda.

“We have all committed to the OSCE’s concept of comprehensive security. This means that we have agreed that political, economic and human dimensions of security, including human rights, democracy and the rule of law, are interrelated. In our talks today I have stressed the importance of working together in this area, as well as on issues related to climate change and its security implications, gender equality and women’s economic empowerment,” she said.

During the visit, she also held discussions with Dmitry Kozak, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Presidential Executive Office, and Sergei Ivanov, Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport.

The Chairperson also met with representatives of civil society in Russia.