Closing Statement at the 30th OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum Concluding Meeting in Prague
As delivered by Alexander Casnocha, Political Officer
to OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum Concluding Meeting, Prague
September 9, 2022
I would like to thank the Polish Chair for convening this final meeting of the 2022 EEF cycle, as well as our Czech hosts for their hospitality and Ambassador Hasani and his OCEEA team for their support in organizing it. The range and quality of speakers has been impressive and I thank them all for sharing their views and expertise with us.
We applaud the Polish CiO for continuing to guide the EEF and Second Dimension’s work in the face of the challenges posed by Russia’s brutal aggression in Ukraine. We agree that the EEF’s focus of sustainable economic recovery from the pandemic remains an important priority for us all and are ready to continue constructive engagement on the issues discussed during the EEF sessions.
As we and others have stated throughout, these past two days have also been an opportunity to take stock of how the OSCE can continue to adapt to changing times and the evolving nature of security threats in the OSCE region. We note that the 30thanniversary of the EEF and 25th anniversary of the OCEEA are mileposts in the history of the Organization. These anniversaries highlight a commendable legacy of achievement in the Second Dimension in implementing our commitments to achieve comprehensive security for participating States. However, this legacy can only be maintained if the OSCE lives up to and defends its core and foundational values at a time when they are under direct assault by one participating State, Russia, and its actions. The way forward must include addressing the immediate and long-term consequences of the human and humanitarian catastrophe unleashed by Russia in Ukraine. We welcome discussions in the weeks and months ahead that seek to strike the right balance in doing so.
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