OSCE

Europe urges Belarus to comply with international obligations

On January 27, Michael Carpenter, US Ambassador to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, delivered a speech regarding the upcoming referendum in Belarus to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna.

“We have to be prepared for all options,” he said.

On November 4, Neil Bush, Head of the United Kingdom’s Delegation to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, delivered a statement on behalf of 35 OSCE states to invoke the Vienna Mechanism in relation to serious human rights violations in Belarus.

On May 20, René Dinesen, Permanent Representative of Denmark to the OSCE, delivered the joint statement on the human rights situation in Belarus on behalf of 37 OSCE participating states.

Alyaksandr Lukashenka was there two years ago. Now Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has met with the President and Chancellor of Austria. The main question raised in Vienna, where the OSCE headquarters is located, is whether a negotiating platform with the Lukashenka regime will be launched and who will become a mediator in the talks. What will Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya bring from Vienna besides beautiful photos?

On April 26, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with heads of missions of Germany, France, Great Britain, United States, Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Czech Republic, Poland to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The missions mentioned above supported the Moscow Mechanism, the press service reports.

On April 16, Elisabeth Rosenstock-Siller, Acting Deputy Chief of US Mission to the OSCE, delivered a statement on the situation in Belarus to the Permanent Council in Vienna. According to her, repression in the country has not stopped.

Russia is not against the OSCE as a mediator.

The US and EU missions to the OSCE showed their support for the nationwide online voting on holding a dialogue between the Lukashenka regime and its numerous critics. The initiative was announced by Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s office on March, 18.

Will the requirements be met?

On January 19, Ann Linde, Sweden’s Foreign Minister and the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, started her two-day visit to Kyiv. During the press conference, the top official commented on the situation in eastern Ukraine and made mention of the recent events in Belarus.

On January 18, Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya held an online meeting with EU representatives in the OSCE. Her foreign affairs advisers Franak Vyachorka and Valery Kavaleuski joined the discussion.