Post #28254

🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’sopening remarks during talks with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Federal Councillor of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis and OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu(Moscow, February 6, 2026) 💬 Mr Minister, Mr Secretary General, Colleagues. We are delighted to see you. Having assumed the Chairmanship-in-Office of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Switzerland, the country you, Your Excellency Ignazio Cassis, represent, has shown interest in resuming a meaningful diplomatic conversation with the Russian Federation. We appreciate this. Of course, the fact that his Excellency OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu is taking part in our talks will make them even more focused and substantial, since we will have to discuss global processes which have been affecting the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe in an extremely negative way. I will not elaborate on the examples demonstrating how the OSCE found itself in the current state of an abysmal crisis and on the brink of self-destruction. The reason is quite simple and consists of a radical rejection by most Western countries of the high principles set out in the Helsinki Final Act, as well as declarations adopted at the subsequent OSCE summits. Yesterday, we started the conversation on this sensitive topic in an informal setting with all of you who are present here today. It is our hope that we will continue this discussion today, this time as part of a formal meeting. In order to assure the media that we are not trying to hide anything from them, let me tell you right away that we will not hold a joint news conference. Minister Ignazio Cassis decided to talk to the media upon returning to Switzerland. As for us, we will make sure to meet with the press once we wave our guests goodbye.