Permanent Representative of Russia to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich’s interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta, October 29, 2019
Question: Mr Lukashevich, I would like to start with a difficult question. The people seldom understand the role and importance of such institutions as the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). They believe that it is all talk and little action, apart from that of the adoption of resolutions. This is partly true. Are there too many international organisations that are hardly having any influence on realities? And it also costs a fortune to maintain them.
Alexander Lukashevich: In general, multilateral diplomacy helps to increase predictability when it comes to international relations. In the modern day world, it is difficult to resolve any problems in a bilateral interstate format alone. International organisations are platforms for interaction between states, dialogue and the coordination of positions on complicated global and regional matters. Whether we want it or not, the absolute majority of problems nowadays are of a cross-border nature. One country alone or even a group of countries cannot resolve them. Coordinated collective efforts are needed for the maintenance of peace and stability on the European continent. This is exactly what the OSCE is doing. Andrey Gromyko said on this account that 10 years of talks are better than one day of war.
Question: Can the OSCE be regarded as the European UN?
Alexander Lukashevich: A vital part of the Charter for European Security is the Platform for Cooperative Security, which is based on cooperation and stipulates a framework for the interaction of various regional organisations under the umbrella of the OSCE. At that time, we believed that we only needed to take the last step towards creating a European UN, that is, approve a charter that would confirm the central role of the new organisation in the European security architecture. But that step has never been taken.
The OSCE is still not a subject of international law. In other words, it can only issue recommendations, not adopt binding decisions. The charter has not been adopted. The result is that the OSCE is a major platform for the discussion of common European topics but not a decision-making centre.
Question: How have the OSCE’s priorities changed over the past decades?
Alexander Lukashevich: At its inception, the OSCE was designed to set the rules of the game for the coexistence of two confronting systems. Later, there was a short period of time when the OSCE was expected to become the central link in the Euro-Atlantic security architecture. At some stage we managed to keep the OSCE in the front ranks of international relations. Important moves were taken, which I have mentioned. But eventually the Western countries refused to bring this process to its logical conclusion. They probably feared losing the dividends of “Cold War winners.” The numerous phases of NATO enlargement were not designed to create an open system of European security but to draw East European countries into the orbit of American influence.
However, we look at the OSCE as a promising venue for rebooting the system of European security. The biggest problem is that the OSCE’s potential is not being used in full measure. Instead of building bridges between the conflicting parties, this unique organisation, which includes all Euro-Atlantic states and some Eurasian countries, is largely running idle or, worse still, is being used for increasing confrontation. Russia is categorically against this approach. We have been trying to direct the OSCE’s efforts towards reducing tension in Europe and combating common for all countries transnational challenges, such as terrorism, drug trafficking, cybercrime and organised crime.
The Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation expresses deep concern that as soon as September 2020, when provisions of new Ukrainian legislation on education enter into force, teaching in educational institutions (except for pre-school and elementary levels) in Ukraine – country, in which Russian is a mother tongue for millions of people – will be almost solely in Ukrainian.
August 4 marks the 25th anniversary of Russia's accession to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the only multilateral missile export control mechanism.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif and I have held talks. We appreciate the fact that this is his second visit to Moscow this month amid the known problems that the coronavirus infection is creating for diplomacy.
Prior to our talks, the minister conveyed a message from President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, to President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. The message was transmitted during a telephone conversation, and then we held talks at the Russian Foreign Ministry's Mansion.
Five years ago, on July 14, 2015, the foreign ministers of Great Britain, Germany, Iran, China, Russia, France and the United States, with the participation of the EU, concluded settlement agreements for the Iranian nuclear programme that were unique in their scope and reach.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action driven by the common political will of the countries participating in its development and reinforced by UNSC Resolution 2231 was a major achievement of multilateral diplomacy. It showed the benefits and effectiveness of the decisions made during the talks that prevailed over approaches based on threats, pressure and brute force.
Colleagues,
Today, we held the first political consultation meeting at the foreign minister level between Russia and three members of the African Union. This mechanism was established after the first Russia-Africa Summit held in Sochi last October. These countries are the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Republic of South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are the former, current and next presidents of the African Union.
People of Russia, Our dear veterans, Foreign guests, Soldiers and sailors, sergeants, warrant officers and ensigns, Officers, generals and admirals, I wish you all the best on the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. A victory that determined the future of the planet for decades to come and went down in history as the grandest in its scale, significance and moral value. This year, the traditional Victory Day celebrations are being held in Russia on June 24. Exactly 75 years ago, the legendary victors paraded right here, along the Kremlin wall, to commemorate the end of the Great Patriotic War. That parade went down in history as a triumph of unprecedented scale, the triumph of good over evil, of peace over war, and life over death.
75 years have passed since the end of the Great Patriotic War. Several generations have grown up over the years. The political map of the planet has changed. The Soviet Union that claimed an epic, crushing victory over Nazism and saved the entire world is gone. Besides, the events of that war have long become a distant memory, even for its participants. So why does Russia celebrate the 9th of May as the biggest holiday? Why does life almost come to a halt on June 22? And why does one feel a lump rise in their throat? They usually say that the war has left a deep imprint on every family's history. Behind these words, there are fates of millions of people, their sufferings and the pain of loss. Behind these words, there is also the pride, the truth and the memory.
Public discussions about possible outcomes of the Kosovo knot have become noticeably livelier recently. The United States and the EU are striving to make themselves an indispensable part of the settlement and are competing for the leading role in this process. In addition, as it happened before, they often disregard the opinions of other stakeholders, which fact calls into question the very possibility of finding a fair solution. Looking back into the recent past and analysing the regrettable consequences of external interference in the region’s affairs is something that must be done if we want to avoid making more mistakes. We also believe it is important to provide a general assessment of the current state of affairs and to outline our fundamental approaches to the Kosovo settlement.
Last week, Washington announced more unilateral sanctions. Unfortunately, this has already become common practice for the United States. These sanctions are directed at an unusual target - not one of the many countries that are out of US favour, but the International Criminal Court and its staff. This event was the subject of a joint briefing by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defence, the Attorney General and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
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