Bulgaria begins as FSC Chair while Russia’s war against Ukraine continues to be at the core of the OSCE discussions

The need to reflect on both the immediate and long-term consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine was highlighted by Ambassador Emilia Kraleva, Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the OSCE, at the Opening Session of the Bulgarian Chairpersonship of the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC).

“We are taking up this function in a turbulent European security environment. This aggression is sending shockwaves across regions and formats of cooperation, crushing already diminished trust and confidence, creating deep divisions and long-term consequences to the detriment of the European Security Architecture,” said Ambassador Kraleva.

The Bulgarian Chair emphasized that the mission of the FSC today involves uneasy reflection on these critical security issues. However, the delegations of the participating States could still use the Forum to explore avenues of diplomatic talks preserving its primary institutional function.

“We all are part of the FSC as an OSCE body and we all share the ownership. We will be counting on the cooperation of delegations and their commitment to its work,” said in closing the FSC Chair.

The tenure of Bulgaria as Chair of the FSC will include among other topics like humanitarian mine action, the need to pursue the Women, Peace and Security agenda, Security and Environment nexus as well as promoting the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security. Bulgaria will also draw the attention to regional concerns like the state of security in the Black Sea Region, and the political-military and other implications that transcend the region.

The Chairmanship of the Forum for Security Co-operation rotates three times a year. It takes the lead in setting the agenda for each meeting of the Forum and brings attention to issues concerning the implementation of commitments adopted by the Forum.