Mr Chair, we start by reiterating our full support for you, your decisions and actions as Chair and your commitment to keep this forum functioning effectively vis-à-vis Russia’s continuous undiplomatic efforts to hinder the FSC from complying with its mandate and OSCE Rules of Procedure.
We already indicated at previous FSC meetings that there was simply no valid reason for Russia to block the agenda as no one was preventing the Russian delegation from speaking here. The only delegation that tries to undermine discussions and to stop other delegations from voicing their views is that of the Russian Federation. Last Thursday, the day after the Russian Delegation declared that there was no consensus on the agenda of the 1081st meeting of the FSC due to their speaker not being allowed to intervene online, Russia distributed to all of us a statement by that speaker as if it was delivered during the meeting that Russia itself arbitrarily decided to block.
This statement by Russia could have clearly been made by any of the Russian Federation’s distinguished delegates present here in Vienna. There is no obvious reason why it should have been delivered only online as Russia insisted. The fact that Russia circulated this statement afterwards, falsely claiming that it was delivered in the session it blocked, only confirms Russia had no justification for blocking the FSC meeting.
We call on Russia to desist from this behaviour.
Thank you.