Mr Chair,
Norway strongly objects to Russia’s unilateral decision to reduce the OSCE Mission to Moldova’s mandate to six months instead of the standard one year.
At the same time we praise the Head of Mission and their team for their excellent work under difficult conditions.
We believe this shorter extension increases the administrative burden and complicates the Mission's work, especially given Moldova's challenges due to Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
Recognizing the OSCE Mission to Moldova’s vital role and the host country's stance, Norway agrees to extend the mandate by six months. At the same time we urge Russia to revisit its stance to enable a return to the one-year mandate extension norm.
I thank you.