The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, completed his second visit to Ukraine.
In Kyiv, Chairman Osmani met with the Speaker of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (the Parliament), Ruslan Stefanchuk, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba. He held a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Kuleba, reaffirming Ukraine as one of the Chairpersonship's top priorities.
"Ukraine is and will remain a central priority for North Macedonia's Chairpersonship. As Chair and as a participating State, we will stand by Ukraine and we will not waiver. A just and sustainable peace is an imperative," the Chairman said.
The OSCE Chairman-in-Office also reiterated that the Organization will continue to assist the government, civil society and the people of Ukraine as they cope with the devastating effects of Russia's war against Ukraine.
"The OSCE will continue to support Ukraine on its path to recovery, through the important extra-budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine (SPU) and the implementation of projects tailored around specific needs. These projects will help to address the consequences of the war and the needs of its people and also support long-term reform efforts of Ukraine," Osmani said.
"I would like to call on all participating States to sustain their declared adherence to OSCE, its values and commitments. Supporting OSCE's perseverance and ensuring its functionality is of benefit for all," he added.
Chairman Osmani visited a primary school in Kyiv where he observed first-hand the impacts of the war that has caused enormous suffering for the people of Ukraine, especially children. He also visited the Centre for the Protection of Children's Rights in Kyiv. In this context he noted the new SPU project that aims to improve Ukraine's psychological support and social protection services for children impacted by the war, at both the national and local levels.
"With a world witnessing conflicts, turmoil and humanitarian crises, the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine is the most pressing challenge we must address. It continues to destroy not just the lives and livelihoods in Ukraine, people's homes and hopes, but also creates a state of instability and volatility across and beyond the OSCE region. It has to stop. The people of Ukraine deserve peace and every child deserves safety, education and a bright future," Chairman Osmani said.
During his visit, Chairman Osmani also visited the premises of the extra-budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine, with the Special Representative of the Chairman-in-Office - Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, Ambassador Marcel Peško, and met with SPU staff. He commended their dedication and commitment amid the ongoing challenges and emphasized the importance he places on their work and tireless efforts.
The extra-budgetary (ExB) Support Programme for Ukraine (SPU) was launched on 1 November 2022 to address the immediate challenges to civilians posed by the war against Ukraine and to support the long-term democratic and social resilience of the country's institutions and civil society.
The Programme comprises projects that build on the OSCE's prior work with its long-standing partners and covers a wide range of areas, such as humanitarian demining, addressing chemical threats, monitoring of environmental damage from the war and supporting the reform efforts of the Ukrainian government.
