OSCE Risks Becoming Meaningless Without Consensus Rule ~Lavrov
The attack on the consensus rule - the key OSCE principle that guarantees the rights of all participating states - has been ongoing for years," the minister said
The Times of Russia | Russia News — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that the OSCE may turn into a meaningless structure if Western nations abolish the long-standing consensus rule that safeguards equal rights among all participating states.
Writing in Rossiyskaya Gazeta ahead of the OSCE ministerial council meeting in Vienna, Lavrov stressed that attempts to undermine the consensus mechanism have been underway for years, and the situation has sharply deteriorated under the Finnish Chairmanship. He emphasized that abandoning consensus would strip the OSCE of its very purpose and destroy the foundation upon which the organization was created.
Lavrov recalled that in September he held discussions with OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu about ways to address the deepening institutional crisis. According to him, these talks reaffirmed that the consensus principle remains fundamental to the OSCE’s functioning.
The minister noted that the organization is facing a profound crisis triggered by efforts from certain countries to shift all OSCE activities exclusively toward the Ukrainian issue and what he described as a broader “Russophobic agenda.”
Lavrov underscored that unless the consensus rule is preserved, the OSCE will be unable to operate as a balanced platform for dialogue and will lose relevance not only for Russia but for the entire region.
