In 2024, Malta will chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. This is a compromise option, since Russia and Belarus have blocked Estoniaʼs presidency.
This was stated by the head of the Foreign Ministry of the OSCE-chairing North Macedonia, Buyar Osmani, at the opening of the OSCE meeting in Skopje.
The formal confirmation of the Maltese presidency will take place on Friday 1 December.
"The Republic of Malta has undertaken this important responsibility with the consent of all Member States. And I am sure that Estonia will become the responsible chairman of the OSCE and this moment will come very soon," Bujar Osmani said.
Why Estonia did not head the OSCE
Last week, Russia and Belarus promised to elect Estonia as the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Thus, Moscow and Minsk blocked the work of the OSCE.
Against this background, Malta received an offer to take over the chairmanship of the OSCE in 2024. This country was seen as a compromise option, since it declares neutrality, although it condemned Russian aggression and, as a member of the EU, joined the sanctions against Russia.
On Monday, the Permanent Council of the OSCE recommended to the foreign ministers of the 57 participating countries to officially approve Malta as the head of the organization in 2024.
Russia agreed to this in exchange for permission from the presiding North Macedonia to allow a Russian delegation led by the under-sanctioned head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergei Lavrov, to the meeting in Skopje.
The heads of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine, the Baltic countries and Poland are boycotting the meeting because of this. It also became known that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken left the OSCE meeting before Lavrov arrived there.