OSCE Agrees On Senior Leadership Package After Intense Negotiations, Ian Borg Announces
OSCE Chair and Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg confirmed that 57 countries were able to agree on the organisation’s new senior leadership package, filling the top leadership posts that have been vacant since September of this year, when the previous mandates expired.
“Malta’s legacy is not a perfect OSCE but definitely a more resilient one,” Borg said during a press conference announcing this.
The package of four names includes Feridun Sinirlioğlu from Türkiye for the post of OSCE Secretary General. Maria Telalian, Legal Adviser of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Head of the the Legal Department, for the post of Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights; Christophe Kamp, the current Ambassador of the Netherlands to the OSCE, for the post of OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities; and Jan Braathu from Norway, the current Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, for the post of OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.
During these last 48 hours of meetings, the ministerial council agreed on the recommendation put forth by the OSCE Preparatory Committee – an informal OSCE body where diplomats deliberate and prepare decisions for formal adoption – which selected these four people out of 13 candidates. They will retain these posts for the next three years.
Borg expressed pride in Malta’s lead of the OSCE this past year despite having just three weeks to prepare for this enormous and important job. His engagement and presence extended several regions and states, from Ukraine as the first country attended by the Chair, to countries in Central Asia, the Western Balkans and more.
The OSCE Chair of Malta tabled four names for the posts earlier this year but this proposal did not reach consensus because both Türkiye and Greece insisted on having their own candidates considered. Subsequently, the Maltese delegation conducted intense negotiations behind the scenes to find a solution and avoid a prolonged leadership vacuum in the organisation.
These negotiations were conducive to a successful Ministerial Council meeting wherein consensus was reached.
This news comes as the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) concludes its 31st Ministerial Council Meeting. The event hosted high-level politicians from the 57 participating states at the MFCC in Ta’ Qali. It further coincides with the ending of Malta’s Chairpersonship at the organisation, paving the way for Finland’s inauguration.
In line with the OSCE’s agenda, one of the main topics discussed during these last two days of diplomacy was the war in Ukraine and with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in attendance, tensions were high.
This was Lavrov’s first visit to Europe since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in Ukraine and his presence stirred controversy. Between three to four delegates walked out during the minister’s allotted speaking time and he returned the favour by leaving the room right when his speech was over.
Despite these hostile moments, the ministerial council was able to successfully decide on the new senior leadership package, which was not an easy feat given all states needed to agree.
While this hurdle was avoided, the OSCE is still grappling with the adoption of a Unified Budget. The organisation hasn’t agreed on a Unified Budget since 2021 mainly due to Russian vetoes, meaning that all funding decisions have been made on a time-consuming, case-by-case basis.
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