Written interview of OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid with Radio Free Europe (Moldova)

On 21 November, you attended the Paris meeting of the Moldova Support Platform. The meeting took place as Moldova is facing major energy, economic and humanitarian challenges against the backdrop of the war waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. The meeting participants pledged more financial and other aid for Moldova to overcome the winter. What role can the OSCE play in this international effort to support Moldova?

Moldova has been directly affected by Russia’s war against Ukraine. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have taken refuge in Moldova, supported by the incredible generosity of its citizens. Moldova’s airspace has been violated and recent air strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have left thousands without electricity. 

I would really like to commend the Moldovan government for all their efforts to address the most urgent challenges. And we are working hand in hand with them, in support of their citizens. 

Moldova is facing increased risks of human trafficking as people are seeking refuge from war in Ukraine, in particular women and children. To protect the most vulnerable, the OSCE works to strengthen Moldova’s anti-trafficking response both on the ground and by working with anti-trafficking practitionersanti-trafficking practitioners
Anti-trafficking practitioners include a broad range of professionals such as law enforcement personnel, public prosecutors, migration officers or asylum authorities, lawyers, labour inspectors, social welfare practitioners, NGOs, and journalists. and the Parliament. In co-operation with Thomson Reuters, we launched the “Be Safe” campaign. It informs Ukrainian refugees about how to reduce the risk of becoming a trafficking victim, and we contribute to capacity building of border staff and first responders on identifying victims. 

In addition, we support government bodies in Moldova in fighting corruption, especially through important internal reforms that are high on the government’s agenda.  

At the Paris meeting of the Moldova Support Platform, I announced a comprehensive project in this respect. We are going to assist national authorities in preventing, investigating and prosecuting corruption. OSCE projects to strengthen border security, address gender-based violence and support water management in the Dniester/Nistru River Basin, are also being implemented, just to give some examples.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moldova’s separatist Transnistria region has been very much in focus as the scene of a potential false flag operation to attract it, and possibly Moldova, into the Ukraine war. Are you worried that might still happen? What is the OSCE doing to prevent such an escalation and to push for a solution to Moldova’s `frozen conflict`?

Since 24 February, we are facing unparalleled challenges to European security – and this affects the OSCE too.  However, I am proud to say that the OSCE continues to be there for the people. 

The most important issue now is to help reduce tensions and maintain critical dialogue between the Sides. The OSCE Mission to Moldova continues its regular monitoring and facilitation work. Our Mission even increased its presence on both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River and our monitoring teams are conducting more visits to the Security Zone.

In addition, there is also the 5+2 format which is a diplomatic platform for dialogue including Moldova, Transdniestria, the OSCE, the Russian Federation, Ukraine, the United States and the European Union. Even though this format is currently on hold, regular and direct talks between Chisinau and Tiraspol have become even more important.

This is why the OSCE mission has facilitated more meetings between the Chief Negotiators from Chisinau and Tiraspol – so far eight meetings in 2022. This is critical to stability and we are the only international organization engaged in this. 

The OSCE is facing a crisis of its own with one of the member states, the Russian Federation, attacking another - Ukraine. An annual meeting of the OSCE foreign ministers (29th OSCE Ministerial Council) will take place in Łódź, Poland, at the beginning of December. But Poland already said that it will not allow Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, to join. How would you describe the challenges that OSCE is facing today, do members agree on any issue about security and cooperation in Europe?

The war against Ukraine is a violation of every principle of our Organization. But even today, when the foundations of our stability are tested, we continue our work and support Ukraine and neighbouring countries that are affected by this unjustified and unprovoked war.

Climate change has a growing impact on the energy sector.  Moldova is one of the five pilot countries that we will provide with the knowledge, climate data and training to help mitigate this. The goal is to boost the climate resilience of the energy infrastructure and to plan for a smooth integration of variable renewable energy.

We also contribute to bringing everyone to the table, especially women working in peace and security. This is a key priority for the OSCE and me personally. Women belong at the negotiation table and we help pave the way for that. 

One very practical example is an OSCE-supported advanced negotiation workshop in Austria recently, where women from both Chisinau and Tiraspol participated. This is a great initiative to ensure women’s participation in the settlement process and to build the women’s confidence by them getting to know one another.

There is so much more we do in support of governments and the people their governments serve. And I believe that today, this work is more urgent and important than ever.

The Russian Federation has been blocking the adoption of the budget of the OSCE for 2022. How is OSCE managing to function and how much can it do without an approved budget? 

With one participating State waging a war against the other, reaching consensus is more challenging than ever. It is obvious that this has a direct impact on the way our Organization operates on many different levels. 

Our work continues, not least on the ground, through our twelve field operations based in South-Eastern Europe, Moldova and Central Asia. They continue to work with local authorities on a range of issues, from strengthening education, tolerance and non-discrimination, to countering the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons and training border services. We also have specialized bodies dedicated to specific issues that work across OSCE - from transnational threats to economic and environmental affairs.  Just looking at the statistics, in 2022 we are engaged in 187 projects with a budget of around €275 million.

In Moldova, we work through a range of projects, in addition to what I have already mentioned. We also help in the fight against gender-based violence. We support water management in the Dniester/Nistru River Basin. We do this because security is more than its political and military aspects, it must take into account economic, environmental and human aspects as well. We do all of this despite the budget situation, hand-in-hand with local governments. 

The OSCE has faced criticism in the past for not being tough enough with Russia (which is a member). Was that true, and if so, has it changed now with the war in Ukraine?

Our Organization has always been about dialogue and co-operation. Whatever the challenges, we keep the dialogue going. And taking decisions collectively has always been our strength and part of our DNA. We have had polarized positions across the OSCE agenda in recent years, but we have found ways to rebuild trust and to re-engage in joint efforts to strengthen security across our region.

Alongside the Chair and the participating States, we worked tirelessly in the weeks leading up to 24 February. There were non-stop negotiations, both formal and informal. We used every tool at our disposal to prevent the largest war in Europe since the Second World War, but these efforts were dependent on good will. Russia chose force over dialogue. As OSCE Chairman-in-Office Rau pointed out, no tools or formats can be effective when one participating State is determined to destroy. 

Even though the war against Ukraine overshadows the security situation across the OSCE region with profound consequences for our common security, the OSCE remains engaged in Ukraine. And we continue to do important work in South-Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus in the service of peace and security.