Since January 1, Poland has been leading the works of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe with Zbigniew Rau, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, as the chairman of the OSCE. In Vienna, the Permanent Council of the OSCE held a meeting, at which the situation of Ukraine and the escalation of tensions by Russia were discussed.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs admitted that the risk of war in the OSCE area is now greater than at any time in the last 30 years.
Among the specific threats to peace and security, Rau mentioned protracted conflicts, military confrontations, radicalization, terrorism, the progressive erosion of arms control regimes, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and deep violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals.
The head of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the involvement of the Polish OSCE presidency in solving security challenges in Eastern Europe, as well as openness to dialogue and readiness to present initiatives for this purpose.
Presenting the priorities of the OSCE presidency, the minister referred to the history of Poland and its resistance to the imperial aspirations of its neighbors and submission to a foreign power. He emphasized the role of breaking the iron curtain by Poland and Central Europe and the importance of tragic episodes in Polish history when the communist authorities opened fire on the demonstrating workers.
In the chairman’s opinion, Poland’s experience should be carefully studied by all who may believe that using force against one’s own people is a good option and will bring lasting solutions.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed his appreciation for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. He called for an extension of its mandate beyond March 31. Minister Rau also mentioned Georgia, Transnistria and Nagorno-Karabakh as places where efforts to establish lasting peace should be strengthened and added that the recent events in Kazakhstan also raised major concerns.
Arkadiusz Słomczyński