Polish foreign minister arrives in Ukraine to ensure OSCE assistance

On August 2, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, the current head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Zbigniew Rau, commenced a visit to Ukraine

The message of the Polish chairmanship of the OSCE in 2022 stated this on Twitter.

"Despite Russian obstructionism, Poland is determined to ensure OSCE's activity and assistance to Ukraine," the post states.

We will remind you that on July 1, it became known that the OSCE is suspending the work of its projects in Ukraine due to russia's position.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Zbigniew Rau, announced this in a statement.

"Regrettably, despite the overwhelming support from participating States for the continuation of the important work that the Project Co-ordinator has carried out for 23 years, no consensus on its mandate extension was reached due to the position of the russian federation," Rau said.

The OSCE project coordinator worked in the country for 23 years.

Zbigniew Rau then stated that a consensus in the OSCE Permanent Council regarding the mandate for the Project Coordinator work was not reached due to russia's position. However, the majority of participating states were in favor of activities continuation.

"Today, when the country is facing unprecedented challenges and hardships due to the ongoing war, our support is more important than ever," the Polish minister emphasized.

He added that the Polish chairmanship of the OSCE will make every effort to preserve the invaluable experience and knowledge acquired by the Project Coordinator in Ukraine.

Poland will also try to ensure the organization's cooperation with Ukraine.

OSCE project coordinator

The position was created in Ukraine on June 1, 1999, by consensus decision of all participating states.

"The mandate tasks were focused on strengthening the country's security and developing its legislation, institutions, and practices in accordance with democratic standards," the OSCE website said.

The Coordinator's efforts ranged from combating human trafficking and supporting the country in its humanitarian demining efforts to protecting the environment and media freedom.