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Russia Goes Offensive in Ljubljana
A two-day meeting of foreign ministers of OSCE member states began yesterday in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Moscow expected massive criticism from the beginning. It was especially concerned about the intention of GUAM member states (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova) to demand that Moscow fulfill the Istanbul Agreement. Under that 1999 agreement, Russia is required to withdraw its troops from Georgia and Moldova.
Moscow decided that the best defense is offense. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, head of the Russian delegation, launched into criticism of the OSCE's activities over the last year immediately. He accused the organization of double standards in assessing democratic reforms in member states. “Can we say that the OSCE today functions for the sake of security? Is it really focused on that?” Lavrov asked. “Unfortunately, the answer will not always be yes.” He called for reform of the organization, mainly in the development of strict standards for determining democratic elections.
Head of the forum Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel tried to bring the meeting up to a constructive level. “This year, we lived for a long time without a confirmed budget or general secretary. We heard the echo of the Cold War in several public statements. Let's be more constructive,” he said. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier repeated that sentiment and said that the meeting could not be completed without the passage of a declaration, as the previous two meetings had. If disagreements between members prevent the adoption of a declaration this year as well, it will already be a tradition.
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All the Article in Russian as of Dec. 06, 2005
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