Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE and Foreign Minister of Finland Elina Valtonen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism of Malta Ian Borg, and Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis - made the following statement:
"Today, as we mark the start of the fourth year of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, the OSCE Troika calls on Russia to end its war of aggression, and to respect its commitments under international law, including those enshrined in the UN Charter and, notably, the Helsinki Final Act, as we mark its fiftieth anniversary.
The war must end in a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on international law and in full respect for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen, stated: 'There can be no negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine. As Ukraine's future is an intrinsic element of European security, Europe must be included in negotiations. The OSCE is well-equipped to contribute to European security and a just and lasting peace for Ukraine and our continent.'
Defending the Helsinki Principles agreed 50 years ago is more important than ever. Russia's war of aggression is a grave violation of the Helsinki Principles, most notably the inviolability of frontiers, refraining from the use of force, territorial integrity and respect for the rights inherent in sovereignty. These principles form the bedrock of European security and are the foundation for our work in the OSCE.
As stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism of Malta Ian Borg: 'What we do for peace today will help determine whether we live in war tomorrow.' Only full compliance with the OSCE's principles and commitments, to which we all fully agreed, can pave the way for a just and lasting peace. Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis stressed: 'We have proven that we can tackle global challenges and find solutions, even when divisions seem stronger than unity.'
In the face of Russia's war of aggression, supporting Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence will remain an OSCE priority. We admire the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people and call on Russia to immediately and unconditionally withdraw its armed forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. We are deeply concerned about the military co-operation between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran and Russia as it escalates the war, adds to its global consequences and prolongs the suffering of Ukrainian people.
We will continue to explore ways to expand our work on the return of children forcibly transferred and deported by Russia and the release of civilian detainees. We commend the crucial work of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children to strengthen international coordination and action in this regard. We also look forward to the swift implementation of the OSCE Extra-Budgetary project on enhancing co-ordinated and analytical approaches to investigating serious crimes, particularly related to missing children.
We mourn the innocent lives lost as a result of Russia's war against Ukraine. The suffering of the people in Ukraine must stop. We condemn all actions aimed at inflicting death, devastation, and trauma on civilians in violation of international humanitarian law, including attacks on critical infrastructure and other civilian targets. International humanitarian law and human rights must be strictly respected.
As shown in several reports by the OSCE Moscow Mechanism missions of experts, we highlight the important role of the OSCE in holding accountable those responsible for violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including the execution and torture of prisoners of war and civilian detainees and the attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and civilians. We must ensure that there is no impunity for crimes committed in and against Ukraine, including war crimes and the crime of aggression committed against Ukraine. We support the active use of the OSCE tools to ensure accountability and commend ODIHR's work in promoting accountability by monitoring and documenting human rights violations.
We emphasize the important work of the Chairperson-in-Office's Special Representative - Project Co-ordinator and the OSCE's Extra-Budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine (SPU). The SPU is a strong and clear political signal of our continued steadfast support for Ukraine and its people. It demonstrates how we can answer to Ukraine's needs and priorities created by the war in a creative and efficient way.
In closing, we demand the immediate release of three OSCE officials - Vadym Golda, Maksym Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov - who remain in detention in Donetsk and Luhansk in violation of the principles and commitments made by all the participating States of our Organization."
