France Voices Regret After OSCE Fails To Agree On Extension Of Four Most Senior Positions

Paris has expressed regret and concern after the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) failed to agree on an extension of its four most senior posts, including the Secretary General and three heads of the OSCE's autonomous institutions, the French Foreign Ministry said on Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th July, 2020) Paris has expressed regret and concern after the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) failed to agree on an extension of its four most senior posts, including the Secretary General and three heads of the OSCE's autonomous institutions, the French Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

The world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization has found itself in a major crisis after the 57 member countries did not reach a consensus on extending the mandates. Alongside the Secretary General, such posts as the Representative on Freedom of the Media, the Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the High Commissioner on National Minorities have not seen reappointment within the organization. Notably, previous appointments on these posts were carried out in July 2017.

"Despite our efforts and those of the vast majority of participating States, no temporary solution was found to avoid the vacancy of these positions," the ministry's statement read.

The statement added that the officials' lack of renewal of the mandates will affect the proper functioning of the organization, as it faces "important events" in the coming months, including the Ministerial Council, which is an annual meeting among foreign ministers of the OSCE participating States, scheduled for December.

Another major event, according to the statement, is the 30th anniversary of the 1990 Paris Charter, which succeeded the 1975 Helsinki Accords and now is a part of the OSCE agreed documentary basis.

The ministry said that France supports the OSCE and its leaders, and along with other participating states, will put efforts to end the "institutional crisis" so that the organization could continue fulfilling its tasks in the "political-military, human, economic and environmental" dimensions.

The OSCE is a regional security-oriented organization that originates from the 1975 Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) held in Finland's capital of Helsinki. It is mandated to deal with security-related issues based on diplomatic dialogue in terms of principles stated in the organization's essential documents.