Ian Borg vows to keep Russia-Ukraine war high on agenda as OSCE chair

Ian Borg has vowed to keep the Russia-Ukraine war at the top of the OSCE agenda during a briefing at the UN Security Council in New York.

In his briefing, Borg said Malta will hold a “consistent and principled position” as chairperson of the OSCE and will use the organisation as a platform for accountability when its principles are breached.

“This is why we must and will keep Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, at the top of the agenda. I saw the devastation caused by this war first-hand during my visit to Ukraine – my first visit in my capacity as Chair-in-Office.”

He took the opportunity to call for the release of three OSCE Special Monitoring Mission officials who are currently being detained in Luhansk and Donetsk. The three officials – Vadym Golda, Maxim Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov – were detained in April 2022 while performing their official duties as part of the mission. 

Petrov and Shabanov were sentenced to 13 years in prison in September 2022, while “legal proceedings” against Vadym Golda are ongoing. 

“We must and we will do our utmost to ensure that they regain their freedom, well-being, and be reunited with their loved ones, whom I met while visiting Ukraine,” Borg said. “We urge all members of the international community to join us in calling on the Russian Federation to undertake all measures to ensure their immediate and unconditional release.”

Borg said Malta’s chairpersonship will also prioritise the OSCE’s role in other conflicts across the region, including in Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Transdniestria.

“We are committed to engaging actively and collaboratively with all relevant stakeholders on the ground – strengthening the invaluable work carried out by our network of Field Missions.”