Brussels - The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's chairman-in-office, Swiss President Didier Burkhalter said dialogue with Russia is of priority importance for settling the crisis in Ukraine and for warding off the threat of spiraling sanctions.
“How should we proceed in dealing with the Ukraine crisis? Dialogue, first, at the international level: between Ukraine and Russia, also between Russia and the West. Let us not just talk about President Putin but also with him. Without an ongoing process of dialogue and negotiations, the risk is high that we will face a sanctions spiral that neither side can really want,” he said, according to the OSCE’s press service.
“The coming days will give some indication as to where diplomacy is taking us. The Swiss Chairmanship stands ready to play its part. This may also include hosting any (summit) meetings, in Geneva or other Swiss locations,” he said.
Burkhalter also said that “relations between the West and Russia have sharply deteriorated as a result of the Ukraine crisis.” “But the crisis of European security predates the Ukraine crisis. In some ways the crisis of European security has even contributed to the Ukraine crisis. It is important that we bear this in mind,” he said.
“Before the Ukraine crisis, the erosion of European security had been going on for some time. There were disputes over NATO enlargement and strategic missile defense, the erosion of the conventional arms control regime in Europe, disagreements about the legitimacy of a series of military interventions, and controversies over declarations of political independence. There were also accusations of broken promises, and there was more and more finger-pointing instead of genuine dialogue. All this amounted to an erosion of trust and a weakening of pan-European security. It could be felt in our everyday work, in the OSCE and elsewhere,” Burkhalter said.
“This estrangement between Russia and the West, and the lack of a shared vision by Russia and the EU for their common neighborhood, had contributed to the – long-existing – tensions within Ukraine about the country’s future course,” he said.
“The OSCE is an appropriate framework to address the crisis of European security and discuss the way ahead. Dialogue on these issues should be inclusive. Russia is too big and too important to be left out. Europe’s security architecture can only be stable and in step with modern security challenges if it creates no new dividing lines,” the OSCE head said.
