MFA: West uses OSCE humanitarian agenda for political pressure
Diplomat Igor Secreta noted the lack of consensus on humanitarian measures and the controversy surrounding the conference in Warsaw.
Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Igor Secreta criticized Western countries for politicizing the humanitarian dimension of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The diplomat made the corresponding statement in the format of a video-conference during the international human rights event “Vienna Discussions” in Vienna.
The international agenda in the field of human rights is increasingly becoming an instrument of political pressure and promotion of selective approaches instead of uniting states around common principles.
“This inevitably affects trust between states and calls into question the ability of existing international mechanisms to effectively fulfill their tasks,” the Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister stressed.
As an example, the diplomat cited the OSCE platform itself, where there is currently no consensus on the package of humanitarian events, their topics and conditions for participation. In addition, there is an ongoing dispute over the holding of the annual meeting in Warsaw and the status of the conference on the human dimension organized by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
Igor Secreta noted that Belarus and Russia are often the objects of such “contrived and sophisticated” political manipulations by Western delegations. In his opinion, it is the deepening of differences in the work of the OSCE that contributes to the development of alternative discussion formats.
“We proceed from the premise that the human dimension of the OSCE should remain a space for equal dialogue, professional discussion of problems and the search for solutions, and not become a tool for pitting states against each other,” the deputy minister concluded.
The event was organized by the Permanent Missions of Russia and Belarus to the OSCE.
Photo: Belarusian Foreign Ministry
