The current head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, and Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, together with OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioğlu, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Pere Joan Pons Sampietro, and OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella, confirmed their support for a fair and lasting peace for Ukraine, to be achieved through negotiations based on international law and the Helsinki principles.
According to the OSCE website on Tuesday, in a joint statement marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, they once again strongly condemned Russia’s aggression, attacks on civilians, civilian objects, and infrastructure, and emphasized the need to respect international humanitarian law at all times.
“Four years into the war, we must spare no effort to end this war. The priority of the Swiss Chairpersonship is to support ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war through a negotiated settlement,” said Cassis.
Valtonen highlighted the need to hold perpetrators accountable, as well as the importance of justice for the victims of aggression.
Sinirlioğlu emphasized that the ongoing war in Ukraine “must end with a fair and sustainable peace.”
“At a time of growing global mistrust, dialogue should remain possible. We need multilateralism to reduce the risks of further destabilization,” he said.
According to Montella, support for Ukraine has been and will remain an OSCE priority since 2014.
The leaders reiterated their call for the release of the three OSCE staff members - Vadym Golda, Maksym Petrov, and Dmytro Shabanov - to ensure that the three are reunited with their loved ones as soon as possible.
