Rapport fra Ambassadør Andreas Nothelle i Wien, foråret 2020

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Special Representative
To:
PA President
and
PA Secretary General
PC Brief Spring 2020
The reaction of the OSCE to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic went through three
phases. For a brief period, there was an almost total standstill in the activities of delegations,
followed by the resumption of meetings, including of the Permanent Council (PC) and the
Forum for Security Cooperation (FSC), as well as some conferences, such as the Annual
Security Review Conference (ASRC) - all of which took place virtually. Currently, meetings
take place in the Hofburg in a hybrid format with a reduced number of physical participants.
Many Heads of Delegations, and, forcibly, persons who do not reside in Vienna, participate
remotely. Decisions based on the consensus-principle have been taken either through the
“silence procedure” or in online meetings. The first social activities are currently organized,
but the main problem that remains is that the “normal way” in which diplomatic negotiations
take place, through person-to-person interaction, is severely obstructed. The Vienna Liai-
son Office has continuously participated throughout all of this.
Despite these impediments, the PC finally managed to find consensus of the Current Unified
Budget (with zero nominal growth and without a decision on the scales of contribution), the
budget and mandate of the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), and took several
other important decisions. However, so far, no consensus has been found on the extension
of the most senior positions in the OSCE (Secretary General, ODIHR Director, High Com-
missioner on National Minorities and Representative on the Freedom of the Media). These
positions had been filled during the Austrian OSCE Chairmanship as a package, and they
expire on July 18. Many delegations would like to see a smooth extension process, in order
to avoid additional complications during the Pandemic. However, Azerbaijan has formally
objected to the extension of Harlem Désir, the current Representative on the Freedom of
the Media, thereby “opening the package”, and requesting a vacancy procedure. Tajikistan
added objections against the extension of the mandate of Ingibjörg Gísladóttir and, more in
general, concerns regarding the regional balance of the leadership of the institutions. Tur-
key also revealed its objections against Désir`s extension. There is also resistance from
other delegations to the extension of the tenants of other positions, based on several differ-
ent reasons. The obstacles created by the Pandemic to in-person negotiations do not make
it easier to find consensus on this issue - which would, even under normal circumstances,
put a heavy strain on any chairmanship.
It also appears that the rhetoric between participating States that are engaged in conflicts,
and their supporters, has become more aggressive. It is unclear whether this is a conse-
quence of actions on the ground (heavy increase in ceasefire violations in Ukraine, post-
ponement of the next Normandy Four Summit, continuous “borderization” in Georgia, in-
creased tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia, to name a few, as well as some devel-
opments in the Western Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean) or whether the lack of
traditional in-person diplomacy and the particularities of video-transmitted statements have
contributed to this development. There have also been verbal attacks on heads of field
presences and deep disagreements over, for instance, the participation of a former NATO
OSCEs Parlamentariske Forsamling 2019-20
OSCE Alm.del - Bilag 33
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official as keynote speaker, or the presence of a NATO Liaison Officer at the FSC meetings.
Atmospherically, it accounts for a climate which is even less constructive than usual.
Despite all these negative developments, the decision-making bodies of the OSCE man-
aged to find consensus also on several other decisions:
Extension of the Deployment of OSCE Observers to Two Russian Checkpoints on the Rus-
sian-Ukrainian Border (until 30 September 2020) and of the Mandate of the OSCE Project
Co-Ordinator In Ukraine (until 31 December 2020), Dates, Agenda and Organizational Mo-
dalities of the 2020 Annual Security Review Conference (ASRC), Date of the 2020 Meeting
of The Heads of Verification Centers, Agenda, Timetable and Modalities for the Ninth An-
nual Discussion on the Implementation of The Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects
of Security and Second Biennial Meeting To Assess The Implementation of The OSCE
Documents on Small Arms and Light Weapons and Stockpiles of Conventional Ammunition.
The SMM continues to experience restrictions on its freedom of movement and SMM staff
cannot cross the contact line since COVID-19 measures were adopted. Limitations in the
deployment of staff is causing serious operational difficulties. Physical damage inflicted
upon the SMM's assets is also increasingly threatening the safety of the mission.
The OSCE PA`s heightened activity, mainly through webinars and online committee meet-
ings, has been well noted by the OSCE community, and, in addition to political representa-
tives and of the permanent missions in Vienna, there has been a strong interest in these
meetings, as expressed by the attendance of staff from the OSCE Secretariat, Institutions
and Field Presences. While cooperation was generally good, there have also been some
developments which require further intensive discussion with the Chairmanship.
The PA`s Liaison Office has continued to function both by tele-communing, participation in
online-meetings and through physical presence (under specific safety measures) in the of-
fice and in the Hofburg. Office staff has also taken the lead in the organization of PA meet-
ings and webinars.
Andreas Nothelle
Ambassador
July 2, 2020