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Belarus urges OSCE to initiate broad dialogue on Eurasian security issues
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MINSK, 5 December (BelTA) - To end conflicts and achieve a new détente, full-fledged international communication must be restored, not further dismantled, Belarus’ Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Sekreta said at the plenary session of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Vienna on 4 December, BelTA has learned.
“The crisis of the international security system inevitably affects the state of the OSCE. Our organization has ceased to be a forum for communication between those who disagree with each other. Instead of dialogue, we have seen a political show where countries are divided into ‘right’ and 'wrong’. But the OSCE was never intended to be a club of like-minded states: it was created as a mechanism for interaction between opposing parties. We are convinced that without returning to this original purpose, the OSCE has no future,” Igor Sekreta said.
The Belarusian diplomat stressed that consensus is not a technical process, but the only way to ensure everyone's participation. “Attempts to undermine it are a direct path to the disappearance of our organization. Today it is important to recognize the obvious: to end conflicts and achieve a new détente, we must first restore full international communication. If our governments are temporarily not ready for direct dialogue, we propose involving analysts, academia, and expert institutions to help launch such a dialogue. Belarus is ready to host these discussions without any preconditions,” the deputy minister added.
He noted that over the past three years, the Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security has already proven that it can serve as a neutral platform where different, including uncomfortable, viewpoints can be voiced, without replacing international organizations such as the OSCE.
“What can be done right now? First of all, we should abandon the practice of isolation, labeling, and imposing illegal sanctions. We must honestly assess how we ended up in the current situation and objectively look at how Europe transformed from a space of cooperation into a space of distrust and hostility. We must responsibly acknowledge that no country can feel secure if the security of another state is declared secondary or insignificant,” Igor Sekreta said. “We call on participating states to return to diplomacy as the primary means of resolving international problems. Allow diplomats to do the work they were trained for!”
The diplomat emphasized that it is time to transform the OSCE from a “vanity fair” into a platform for respectful diplomatic engagement.
“It is essential to restore mechanisms to prevent border incidents, create channels for operational communication, and discuss transparency measures. This is no less important for Belarus than for other countries. Our geopolitical position in the heart of Europe is not an abstract concept but a daily reality that requires practical cooperation. If we want our continent, in the year marking the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, to send a signal to the world of hope instead of doom, we must now agree on launching a broad dialogue on the future of security in Eurasia: not against anyone, but to avoid a new major war. Belarus is ready to participate in this work and conduct this discussion in an honest, respectful, and professional manner. We invite our colleagues, both those who agree with us and those who disagree, to take up this offer,” the deputy minister concluded.
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