Today, North Macedonia takes over the one-year chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) from Poland, and the chairman's duties will be performed by the head of diplomacy, Bujar Osmani.
Osmani said that North Macedonia, as chairman, will focus on preserving the principles and obligations of the OSCE and that one of the first priorities will be support for Ukraine.
Presenting the priorities of the presidency before the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, Osmani said in September that at a time when the OSCE is under serious test, it is essential to rebuild mutual trust and to show the political will for dialogue on common security issues.
At the OSCE ministerial meeting in Lodz, in December, Osmani singled out support for Ukraine as one of the main priorities during the presidency of North Macedonia.
"Our efforts will be aimed at ensuring the continued presence and engagement of the OSCE in Ukraine, providing programmatic support in all three dimensions through the newly established Ukraine Support Program, as well as sending a special representative of the OSCE chairman for political reporting," said Osmani.
He expressed his readiness to put all the capacities and mechanisms of the OSCE into operation as chairman, with the aim of helping the affected population of Ukraine in facing the challenges arising from the energy and food crisis.
The OSCE, whose headquarters are in Vienna, was founded in 1973 and is the largest intergovernmental security organization in the world with 57 member countries and 11 partner countries. North Macedonia presides over that organization for the first time.
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