Current:Home > reviewsTop diplomats arrive in North Macedonia for security meeting as some boycott Russia’s participation -Edge Finance Strategies
Top diplomats arrive in North Macedonia for security meeting as some boycott Russia’s participation
TrendPulse Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-10 17:34:39
SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Top diplomats from more than 50 countries arrived in North Macedonia on Wednesday for a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, while others boycotted the expected presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The foreign ministers of Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania had said they would not attend the talks due to Lavrov’s participation and Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a brief stop in North Macedonia’s capital, Skopje, for the meeting but left for Israel hours later. He did not encounter Lavrov, who was due in Skopje late Wednesday.
Blinken accused Russia of “flagrant violations of every single core principle” of Cold War efforts to ease East-West tensions that led to the creation of the OSCE, and “relentless efforts to obstruct the OSCE’s work.”
Speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels earlier Wednesday, Blinken said that the other OSCE member nations “are showing determination to make sure the organization continues to fulfil its purpose to advance European security.”
North Macedonia, a NATO member who holds the OSCE’s rotating chairmanship until Dec. 31, briefly suspended its ban on flights from Russia for Lavrov to fly in.
Russia’s top diplomat is making a rare visit to a NATO member country during the war that started with his country’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Lavrov also has visited NATO ally Turkey, which has no ban on Russian flights. In September, he was in New York to attend the U.N. gathering of world leaders.
In remarks with Blinken, North Macedonia’s foreign minister, Bujar Osmani, said his country’s chairmanship had sought to turn the OSCE into “a platform for political and legal accountability of (Russia) for its atrocities in Ukraine.”
The OSCE meeting started with a working dinner on Wednesday. Formal talks over the next two days will discuss the future of the organization and the challenges it faces.
The participating ministers are expected to decide whether Malta will be elected chair for next year. Other decisions include the OSCE budget and filling key positions.
In a joint statement Tuesday, the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania said Lavrov’s presence at the meetings “will only provide Russia with yet another propaganda opportunity.” Separately, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry claimed that Russia “systematically blocked the consensus on key issues,” citing its opposition to Estonia’s candidacy for chair of the organization in 2024.
Security will be high in Skopje. Police sealed off a sports venue where the talks are talking place. The government declared Thursday a public sector and school holiday to reduce traffic.
veryGood! (53)
Related
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- Biden creates New Deal-style American Climate Corps using executive power
- Rough surf batters Bermuda as Hurricane Nigel charges through open waters
- Swiss parliament approves ban on full-face coverings like burqas, and sets fine for violators
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- 'Trapped and helpless': ‘Bachelorette’ contestants rescued 15 miles off coast after boat sank
- Record number of Australians enroll to vote in referendum on Indigenous Voice to Parliament
- Moose charges, headbutts and stomps on woman who was walking her dog on wooded trail in Colorado
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- DJ Khaled Reveals How Playing Golf Has Helped Him Lose Weight
Ranking
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Speaker McCarthy says there’s still time to prevent a government shutdown as others look at options
- Man set to be executed for 1996 slaying of University of Oklahoma dance student
- Kevin Costner and wife Christine Baumgartner reach divorce settlement and avoid trial
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Dodgers pitcher Brusdar Graterol pitches in front of mom after 7 years apart: 'Incredible'
- Federal Reserve pauses interest rate hikes — for now
- Sports Illustrated Resorts are coming to the US, starting in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Recommendation
Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
Why Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner Is About to Change Everything You Thought About Fantasy Suites
Man dead after attack by swarm of bees at his home, Kentucky coroner says
'Concerns about the leadership' arose a year prior to Cavalcante's escape: Officials
John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
At 91, Georgia’s longest serving sheriff says he won’t seek another term in 2024
DeSantis plays up fight with House speaker after McCarthy said he is not on the same level as Trump
DeSantis plays up fight with House speaker after McCarthy said he is not on the same level as Trump