Ambassador Holland underlines ongoing relevance of Helsinki Decalogue and calls on Russia to return to full compliance with its OSCE commitments.
Thank you Chairs for hosting this Security Dialogue to mark the Helsinki Final Act turning 50 next year. Thank you to the speakers for their interventions. I will speak along the lines that your concept Note suggested - on the purpose, the current state and the future of the Decalogue.
Firstly, the purpose of the Decalogue. It underpins the collective peace, sovereignty, and cooperation in our Euro-Atlantic region. In it, we all committed to ensuring conditions for "true and lasting peace free from any threat to or attempt against their security". It enshrined core, simple, yet foundational principles - including on sovereignty, inviolability of frontiers, territorial integrity, the non-use or threat of force, peaceful settlement of disputes, and the non-intervention in the internal affairs of other States.
Secondly, the current state of the Decalogue. This September, the Russian Delegation called the Helsinki Final Act our "lodestar". We agree. Yet, last week, we marked 1000 days of Russia's full-scale, illegal invasion of Ukraine. An invasion that the Russian delegation repeatedly insisted, on the OSCE record, would not happen. And yet it did. In contravention of all ten Decalogue Principles. We have deployed the OSCE toolkit to demand that Russia and Belarus return to compliance with the Decalogue. The OSCE toolkit, including Moscow Mechanism and ODIHR reports, has also established violations of OSCE commitments and international law. The ODIHR's fifth interim report catalogued a "multiplication of rights violations" by Russian forces "some of which may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity".
Sadly, there is a pattern of Russia contravening the Decalogue over decades. I highlight three: invading neighbouring States; undermining the right of States to join alliances; and waging a campaign of hybrid attacks across the OSCE region. In more detail:
Contravening all of our ten Principles, Russia intervened with force in Moldova in 1990, Georgia in 2008, and Ukraine in 2014. In Ukraine, Russia has staged illegal and illegitimate annexations of territory. Russian armed forces also remain stationed illegally in the territories of the three.
In the Decalogue, States have the "right to be … a party to treaties of alliance". Yet Russia tries to dictate against States choosing to join NATO - including through the use of force.
In the Decalogue, States must refrain from the "intervention in the internal affairs … of another State". And yet, at Permanent Councils on 16 May and 25 July this year, 40 States documented Russian malign activities and interference in the region. This highlighted a pattern of espionage, sabotage, cyber, disinformation, conventional and other unacceptable attacks by Russia.
Chairs, the Helsinki Decalogue remains valid, important and relevant today for the security of the whole OSCE region. These shared commitments underpin our shared security. Any breaches are a direct and legitimate concern for us all. The UK remains fully committed to the Decalogue. And we once again call on Russia to return to full compliance with its commitments and for all cases across the entire OSCE Zone of Application.
