Lavrov to hold talks with OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu in Moscow

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is set to meet with Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu in Moscow, where they will discuss a broad range of topics related to the organization’s work and its engagement with Russia.

Sinirlioglu’s first visit to Russia as OSCE Secretary General

Sinirlioglu, the former Turkish foreign minister, assumed his role as OSCE Secretary General on December 6, 2024, succeeding Helga Schmid.

His visit marks the first time he will travel to Russia in his new capacity.

The last OSCE Secretary General visited Moscow in 2021.

Ahead of the meeting, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova noted that recent high-level in-person interactions with OSCE leadership had been limited to brief conversations at ministerial meetings.

“The upcoming meeting will focus on both current issues related to the Secretary General’s mandate and the overall situation within the OSCE, which remains in a deep existential and institutional crisis, preventing it from playing any significant role in ensuring regional security,” Zakharova said.

Challenges facing the OSCE

“The OSCE is currently experiencing a profound crisis. I do not know whether it will survive after the actions taken by the West in violation of all its founding documents—actions aimed at undermining and discarding the consensus principle while trying to impose unilateral, primarily Russophobic policies,” Lavrov previously stated.

It is expected that during the meeting, Sinirlioglu will outline his program of action within the framework of his mandate.

Additionally, since December 2024, three other key OSCE leadership positions have changed hands:

• Maria Telalian (Greece) now heads the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR),
• Christoph Kamp (Netherlands) serves as High Commissioner on National Minorities,
• Jan Bratu (Norway) is the Representative on Freedom of the Media.

Discussions are anticipated to cover these institutions’ activities, with Moscow raising concerns over issues such as restrictions on Russian journalists working abroad.

Focus on Ukraine and the Caucasus

A key part of the agenda will be the discussion of ongoing conflicts within the OSCE’s area of responsibility.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, whose country currently chairs the OSCE, recently suggested that a peacekeeping mission could be deployed along the ceasefire line in Ukraine under the organization’s auspices.

However, Lavrov has stated that the presence of European peacekeepers in Ukraine would not eliminate the root causes of the crisis from Russia’s perspective.

The situation in the Caucasus is also expected to be a major topic, particularly the future of the OSCE’s Minsk Group, which various parties have deemed outdated.

Talks may also address developments in Georgia, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia.

Upcoming OSCE Ministerial Council meeting

The OSCE Ministerial Council, the organization’s central decision-making body, convenes at the end of each year. With Finland chairing the OSCE in 2025.