... took into account such desires in the very last place. The dramatic fate of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) after the Cold War is a great illustration. The Western countries were immediately able to act within the framework of this ... ... with a consolidated position, which excluded even minor manifestations of justice in relation to the basic interests of others: Russia, Kazakhstan or smaller states outside the European Union and NATO.
The fact that only Russia actively opposed it is connected ...
Greater Eurasia is under the influence of challenges and threats of both internal and external ... ... completely differently.
Almost a year and a half after the crisis in relations between Russia and the West entered its phase of military-political confrontation in Ukraine... ... Moreover, they were not in opposition to each other, which would have to be regulated. The OSCE crisis begins with the end of the Cold War, when the balance of power shifted....
... security interests of other States.
Discussing the present situation in Europe, our colleagues from the United States, NATO and the European Union make constant appeals for ‘de-escalation’ and call on Russia to ‘choose a path of diplomacy’. We want to remind: we have been moving along that path for decades. The key milestones,... ... diplomacy. The very fact that the West now tries to revise to its benefit these diplomatic achievements of the leaders of all OSCE countries raises serious concern. The situation demands a frank clarification of positions.
We want to receive a clear answer ...
... which had not been extinguished completely and which this organization had been safeguarding, flared up in Ukraine. Here the OSCE came in handy as the coordinator of a peacekeeping mission. Perhaps the organization will live on for some time yet as a ... ... an anti-crisis center. But there are no signs of a real willingness by Western partners to fill the gaping security vacuum in Europe by overhauling the organization or creating alternative institutions. Meanwhile, this vacuum is dangerous.
In 2015, Russia made important real steps towards its economic turn to the East. It established areas of priority development that are ...
... central organising body of the new European architecture. The West entertained the prospect of a greater role for the OSCE for some time, but in the end resolved not to give the body even more importance. There were concerns among Europeans that the OSCE might start competing with NATO to be the main security provider in Europe.
Kremlin.ru
Kadri Liik:
How to Talk with Russia
There was little appetite in Washington and in Brussels to invest heavily in any “OSCE-based system” and, for understandable reasons, the West made a clear choice in favour of a “NATO/EU-based system”.
It is important to ...
... just to advance its own interests within the post-Cold War European system with its common set of rules. It means having geopolitical veto rights and uncritical acceptance of the nature and practices of its domestic regime – neither of which the OSCE principles can provide.
Contrary to what many would claim, Russia is not an expansionist power. It does not want to dominate the world, conquer Europe or even restore the Soviet Union. But it wants a sphere of control in the area that the EU calls its Eastern neighbourhood, and it wants spheres of control as such to be accepted as an organising principle of international life. Russia does not ...
... could become an opportune venue to switch from confrontation to full-fledged cooperation, however utopian it may seem. The OSCE chairmanship will then pass to Austria, a country well-known for peacemaking in foreign policy.
It would be beneficial for Russia, the EU and the United States to preserve cooperation through the remaining channels of communication, such as the OSCE and the Council of Europe, as well as sub-regional structures such as the Black Sea Cooperation Organization and the Arctic Council. These venues are unlikely to achieve a complete normalization of relations but may at least prevent further deterioration,...
