VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – In his opening remarks at the 31st OSCE council meeting in Malta, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov declared the West’s anti-tank weapons and barbed wire in Ukraine were a “reincarnation of the Cold War, only now with a much greater risk of a transition to a hot one”.
Lavrov’s statement was a direct message to Maltàs Foreign Minister Ian Borg opening remarks. Borg stated that times have changed since the Cold War came to an end in Malta, but the world is again marked by the same threats, pointing to the escalation of Russian aggression towards Ukraine.
Lavrov accused the West that it never respected the principle of consensus, adding, there is no single sphere in the OSCE where it can play a useful role, claiming that mutually respectful dialogue has been killed inside the 57-nation bloc.
Lavrov said that the aim in Ukraine is to “keep Russia down and inflict defeat on it on the battlefield”.
He also referred to the revocation of the visa for the Malta conference for his spokesperson Maria Zakharova, saying it was yet another attempt to destroy consensus.
However, Maltàs Foreign Minister Ian Borg remarked the situation has deteriorated, adding, the rules that have underpinned international security for 80 years are being questioned and undermined.
Borg called on Russia to withdraw from Ukraine and end its escalation, saying the OSCE must work towards “just and lasting peace”. He also called for the release of Vadym Golda, Maxim Petrov, and Dmytro Shabanov, three OSCE officials who have been detained by the Russian Federation since April 2022.
Borg declared today we are no longer talking about building bridges, wère talking about preserving one of the few we have left”. The international community was running out of time, Borg admitted. “It’s time to walk the talk,” Dr Borg concluded. “The decisions we take over the next two days will determine whether we can finally set the organisation on a path towards a more sustainable, effective and resilient future, let’s get it done”.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga on Thursday told the meeting that Russia was the “biggest threat to our common security”. “Russia is not a partner; it is the biggest threat to our common security. Russiàs participation in the OSCE is a threat to cooperation in Europe,” he said, calling Lavrov himself a “war criminal”.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Lavrov of spreading a “tsunami of misinformation” and blamed Moscow for an escalation of the war in Ukraine. “Our Russian colleague is very adept at drowning listeners in a tsunami of misinformation”, Blinken told those present.
“But let’s not fool ourselves and let’s not allow him or anyone else to fool us. This is not about and has never been about Russiàs security. This is about Mr. Putin’s imperial project to erase Ukraine from the map.”
Also speaking at the opening, the chair of the OSCE parliamentary assembly Pia Kauma reiterated calls for Russia to “return to honouring the international order and norms it previously adhered to”. “Ukraine alone has the right to determine the timing and terms of peace,” she said, insisting that Ukraine must be given space to set the terms of a peace agreement.
– Foto Department of Information Malta –
(ITALPRESS).
