Pictured here with Ukrainian Head of Delegation Mykyta Poturaiev, CiO Zbigniew Rau exchanges with Special Representative for Parliamentary Dialogue on Ukraine Reinhold Lopatka, 4 July 2022 BIRMINGHAM, 5 July 2022 – Speaking Monday to the OSCE PA’s General Committee on Political Affairs and Security, OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Foreign Minister of Poland Zbigniew Rau told parliamentarians that by working together, the OSCE can ensure that its crucial work in Ukraine continues.

“We should reaffirm our unity and work tirelessly to build resilience in the face of the current threat posed by the Russian aggression against Ukraine,” CiO Rau said. “I believe in the value of our partnerships within the OSCE and with the Organization’s Parliamentary Assembly. They enable us to join forces in the defense of our common values.”

In his speech, Rau noted that the OSCE and the wider international community is at a turning point of history, and will be judged by its response. He stressed that the OSCE should continue to earn the trust that it has built over years with people living in conflict zones. Human rights are universal and indivisible, he said, and we cannot remain silent when they are violated. Resolve and clarity of purpose are key to defending our values and principles, the minister stressed, and the OSCE should build resilience in the face of the current threat.

Following his speech, the CiO took questions from the parliamentarians and was asked by OSCE PA Special Representative for Parliamentary Dialogue on Ukraine Reinhold Lopatka (Austria) about the prospects for diplomacy to bring the war to an end. CiO Rau responded that as the victim of aggression, it is up to Ukraine to decide when to initiate diplomatic efforts, and when it does, the OSCE should be ready to support this.

Earlier in the day, the CiO met with OSCE PA President Margareta Cederfelt and Secretary General Roberto Montella for discussions that focused on plans for the second half of the Polish Chairmanship, particularly in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Video of CiO Rau's address is available here.