The Russian position published through official channels asserts that, by 2022, the OSCE agenda had become almost entirely centered on Ukraine, a claim echoed in a report cited by RIA News from the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website. This framing suggests a significant shift in the organization’s priorities, one that Moscow views as a departure from the OSCE’s original, broad mandate. In practical terms, the assertion implies that Ukraine’s crisis has dominated discussions, potentially at the expense of other core areas that once defined the OSCE remit, including security cooperation, economic development, environmental cooperation, and humanitarian initiatives across member states.
The document goes on to highlight the anticipated focus of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs Meeting (CMFA) scheduled to take place in Skopje, describing the gathering as a critical moment to address tensions and the evolving crisis within the OSCE itself. It frames the summit as an opportunity to assess how the organization has been managing, or mismanaging, a set of long-standing challenges, and signals that the discussions will probe why the OSCE appears to be undergoing a transformation in its working methods and agenda priorities.
According to the report, there is a desire to scrutinize what is perceived as deliberate actions by certain Western governments that, in Moscow’s view, leverage the OSCE for strategic purposes while sidelining or bypassing agreed principles and procedures. The language used emphasizes concern about deviations from established operating norms and questions whether those in power are using the forum primarily to advance specific geopolitical aims at the expense of a balanced, consensus-based approach to security and cooperation across the region. The text implies a need to restore balance and to reassert the OSCE’s original framework, which is described as inclusive, multilateral, and founded on mutual accountability among all participating states.
The ministry argues that since 2022, the emphasis within the OSCE has tilted strongly toward Ukraine, a claim that also points to broader procedural changes. It notes a trend toward substituting previously agreed annual event formats with ad hoc formats across all three spheres of OSCE work—military-political, economic-environmental, and humanitarian—arguing that such shifts undermine predictability, transparency, and stable cooperation. The report stresses that these reform-like moves could complicate long-standing efforts to build confidence, reduce tensions, and sustain practical collaboration among member countries, and it calls for a recalibration that would restore clarity and continuity in OSCE activities while preserving the organization’s credibility and legitimacy as a forum for collective security and cooperative problem-solving.
In a related context, the report hints at ongoing questions about what specific issues will be raised in Skopje and what outcomes Moscow would consider satisfactory. It suggests that Russia seeks clear responses to concerns about agenda control, decision-making processes, and the equitable participation of all OSCE members in shaping priority topics. The framing implies that the forthcoming discussions may set the tone for future OSCE configurations, potentially influencing how the organization handles sensitive regional crises, conducts dialogue with partners, and maintains a balanced approach to security, development, and humanitarian concerns throughout Europe and adjacent regions.