Special Representative
To:
PA President
and
PA Secretary General
PC Brief Summer 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic continued to negatively impact the work of the OSCE over the
summer. There was the usual August Summer Recess, which was interrupted by a Special
Meeting of the Permanent Council (PC). Meetings took place in the Hofburg in a hybrid
format with a reduced number of physical participants. Many Heads of Delegations, and,
forcibly, persons who do not reside in Vienna, participated remotely. The
“normal way”
in
which diplomatic negotiations take place, through person-to-person interaction, is still se-
verely obstructed. However, two ambassadorial retreats tried to make up for this lack of
traditional interaction. Moreover, the December Ministerial Council (MC) in Tirana will take
place in a hybrid format. Negotiations regarding drafts for texts are supposed to take place
in Vienna only and should end on the eve of the MC.
The Vienna Liaison Office has continuously participated in all meetings in person, where
possible, or otherwise online. In addition, PA members have participated in person in meet-
ings that took place in the Hofburg. We have reported directly on specific issues, such as
the non-extension of the senior posts in the executive structures and the discussions about
the post-election situation in Belarus.
The discussions during these weeks continued to give testimony to the increasing tensions
within the OSCE, despite the temporary significant reduction in ceasefire violations in east-
ern Ukraine. While the Special PC on the situation in Belarus was conducted in a slightly
more constructive spirit, discussions in subsequent meetings deteriorated again. The invo-
cation of the
“Moscow Mechanism”
(a fact-finding tool adopted unanimously in 1991 which
provides for the sending missions of experts to assist participating States in the resolution
of a particular question or problem relating to the human dimension) by 17 participating
States, who were supported by a number of further countries, was met with steep criticism
by the Russian Federation and Belarus. The Russian Federation also persistently invoking
the limitations for the current acting leaders of the executive structures, calling into question,
for instance, the right of the acting Secretary General to present the draft Unified Budget to
the PC.
Tonight, a Special PC witnessed language by the ambassadors of Azerbaijan and Armenia
which I cannot help but describe as a language of war decorated with personal insults.
Azerbaijan declared that, following what it described as provocative acts by Armenia, it will
continue its military operation until the occupying forces are
“eliminated”
and the territory is
“liberated”.
Armenia in the statement of its ambassador, retorted, and also attacked Turkey,
which had supported Azerbaijan. Except for general calls for an end to the hostilities made
before this exchange, others than those three did not comment on what they had heard.
The usual annual Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, which should have taken
place within the last few weeks in Warsaw, was cancelled because of the problems caused
by the Pandemic. At the same time, the preceding discussions as well as the interpretative
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