On July 22, 2020, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Andriy Taran took part in the final meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation, summing up the results of his work under the chairmanship of Ukraine in the second quarter of 2020.
Ukraine led the Forum in an unprecedented time of crisis related to COVID-19 and the ongoing Russian aggression against the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of our state. These factors have made managing this important OSCE body a demanding and difficult task, the minister said.
According to the head of the ministry, the source of instability of the military-political and security situation in Europe lies in the aggressive foreign policy of the Kremlin. Tensions in the Black and Azov Seas are escalating as a result of their unprecedented militarization by Russia, its occupation of the sovereign territories of Ukraine and Georgia, and the creation of obstacles to freedom of navigation.
"I would like to make a clear and decisive emphasis on one issue - Russian aggression against Ukraine remains the main problem of our national and regional security," Andriy Taran stressed.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been used by Russian propaganda to spread false accusations in cyberspace and to create the conditions for the unjustified lifting of sanctions imposed by the international community against Russia for violating peace and international law.
Politico-military aspects of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine were also the focus of the Forum. The insidious assassination of a Ukrainian military medic by the Russian occupation forces in Donbas on July 13 was a sad testament to the importance of persistent efforts to curb the further escalation of the conflict and ensure compliance with international humanitarian law.
Andriy Taran assessed the results of consideration of the priority issues of the Ukrainian presidency during the Forum meetings and outlined the views of the Ukrainian side on several security challenges that need a joint OSCE response.
He drew special attention to monitoring the situation on the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula, militarization, and obstruction of free navigation in the Azov-Black Sea region; combating the illicit trafficking of weapons and ammunition across national borders in conflict zones, primarily the part of the Ukrainian-Russian border located in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas; development of means of counteraction to hybrid threats; making progress in modernizing the 2011 Vienna Document on Confidence-and Security-Building Measures, in particular, to increase transparency during large-scale unexpected military exercises.
In response to the speech of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, the delegations of the OSCE participating States praised the painstaking and professional work of the Ukrainian chairmanship. They stressed the urgency of the issues raised during the meetings for European security amid continuing violations of international law and the OSCE's fundamental principles by the Russian Federation, which continues its aggression against Ukraine and the illegal occupation of the Crimean peninsula.
The OSCE participating States reaffirmed their unwavering support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our state. They expressed serious concern over Russia's holding of a sudden, large-scale military exercise on July 17-21 this year. In this context, participants stressed the need to modernize the 2011 Vienna Document on Confidence-and Security-Building Measures.
For reference: for the first time in almost thirty years of its participation in the OSCE, Ukraine is chairing the Forum for Security Cooperation of this organization. It was the first member state to perform this function online. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba officially opened his chairmanship on July 29, 2020.
The forum was established in 1992. It now brings together 57 OSCE participating States and 11 OSCE Partner Countries. The Forum decides on measures to strengthen confidence and security in the OSCE region, control of conventional weapons. It serves as a platform for discussing ways to reduce the risk of conflict, current challenges to European security, and the status of implementation of existing OSCE commitments in the politico-military dimension. The Forum established an effective mechanism to assist states in preventing illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons and conventional ammunition, democratic control over the armed forces, implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on "Women, Peace, and Security" and UN Security Council Resolution 1540 on non-proliferation. Since 2014, the Forum's weekly plenary sessions have focused on discussing and condemning Russia's gross violations of OSCE core principles and principles through its aggression against Ukraine.