From 3-4 December, the 27th meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council was hosted by the Albanian chair in Tirana. At the meeting it was decided to appoint a new Secretary General of the OSCE and Three new Heads of the OSCE's autonomous institutions.
As incoming chair of the OSCE in 2021, Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde traveled to Tirana for the meeting, which was mainly held in digital format. Parts of the meeting were live-streamed to a broader audience.
In her national statement, the Minister emphasised the importance of the common principles and commitments, which the 57 participating States of the OSCE have agreed upon.
"By honouring our commitments, we make sure that our region is safe. The turbulent events after the presidential election in Belarus are a reminder of the importance to uphold these principles.", said Ann Linde.
Read the whole statement here.
The former Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Helga Schmid, was appointed as Secretary General of the OSCE. Matteo Mecacci from Italy was appointed as new Head of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The former State-Secretary for International Development of Portugal, Teresa Ribeiro, was appointed as new Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM). The new High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) is the former Kazakh Ambassador to Sweden, Kairat Abdrachmanov.
For Sweden, the meeting of the Ministerial Council was a final test ahead of next year, when Ann Linde will be taking over as Chair of the OSCE. In 2021, the Ministerial Council will be held in Stockholm.
