Farnesina –
The Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Maria Tripodi led, on behalf of the Vice President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani, the Italian delegation to the meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which is taking place under the Chairmanship-in-Office of North Macedonia in Skopje. The OSCE Ministerial Council, composed of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the 57 participating States, is the central decision-making and governing body of the Organization. In the national speech delivered in the plenary, Undersecretary Tripodi reiterated his firm condemnation of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and Italy’s commitment to supporting the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. You also welcomed with satisfaction the nomination of Malta as Presidency for next year and strongly hoped for the renewal of the mandates of all four top positions of the Organization. Italy is among the top contributors to the OSCE in financial and personnel terms and is committed to ensuring the correct functioning of the Organization, in defense of the principles of peace and security that underlie it and the common commitments undertaken by the States participants for respect for international law, human rights and fundamental freedoms. Despite the negative impact of the Russian war against Ukraine, the OSCE has been able to use the mechanisms at its disposal flexibly, for example through the activation of the Moscow Mechanism for the investigation of Russian atrocities committed in Ukraine or for the analysis of the environmental impact of the war, for example following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam. The OSCE remains the only international forum in which Russia and Ukraine sit at the same table on an equal footing and where Italy, together with the European Union and its G7 and NATO partners, discusses the progress of the conflict on a weekly, reminding Russia of its responsibilities. On the sidelines of the proceedings, Undersecretary Tripodi had a conversation with the Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Matteo Mecacci, and with the Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Roberto Montella. Undersecretary Tripodi also met the staff on duty at the Italian Embassy in Skopje whom he thanked for the work done to defend and promote national interests in the various sectors of activity.
