OSCE chair Ian Borg heading to Ukraine in show of ‘unwavering support’

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Chair Ian Borg will be visiting Kyiv as a sign of “unwavering support”, he announced on Thursday.

“Next week I will visit Kyiv to demonstrate our unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said. “I, and the Maltese Chairpersonship will continue to demand Russia’s full, unconditional and immediate withdrawal from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders.”

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) head reiterated his “strongest condemnation” for the intensified attacks by Russian forces on Ukraine.

He was speaking during his inaugural address as Chair of the OSCE, having been appointed in late 2023. The move came after Russia blocked Estonia from taking the role.

Speaking to both Russian and Ukrainian diplomats on Thursday, he made it clear that Malta’s priority remains that of the “unequivocal commitment to keeping Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine at the top of the OSCE agenda”.

“Let us do everything possible to break the chain of relentless violence, anguish, and suffering we are witnessing, not only in this war but in conflicts around the world. Let us halt all deliberate destruction of vital infrastructure and all civilian deaths. Let us reverse the normalisation of this callous indifference to human life,” Borg told those present. “What we do for peace today will help determine whether we live in war tomorrow.”

He said Malta will work towards safeguarding the principles and commitments set at the OSCE’s foundation in 1975.

“Let me remind you that these are not optional – they are shared obligations to which we have all collectively agreed,” he told diplomats.

The OSCE in Europe is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the promotion of human rights, freedom of the press, and free and fair elections.

He said the “overarching priority” is that of securing a budget and future leadership for the OSCE. The states’ unanimous agreement to appoint Malta as head “was a glimmer of hope, but we are not out of the woods”.

Borg also called for a more secure Mediterranean region, reiterating that “there could be no European security without Mediterranean security”.

“Our engagement is governed by our conviction in the imperative need of restoring our planet to a state of peace,” he said. “Our engagement is governed by our sense of purpose to serve as a bridge in the world around us, inspired by Malta’s unique position at the crossroads of East and West, of Europe and Africa.”