Monaco takes part in 31st meeting of OSCE Ministerial Council

OSCE - Malte © DR

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Isabelle Berro-Amadeï took part in the 31^st meeting of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Ministerial Council, which was held in Malta on 5 and 6 December 2024. She was accompanied by H.E. Lorenzo Ravano, Monaco’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the OSCE, and Jean-Laurent Imbert, the Deputy Permanent Representative.

This year’s meeting, with the theme “Strengthening Resilience, Enhancing Security”, brought together more than 40 foreign ministers, and was once again dominated by the war in Ukraine.

In her speech, Isabelle Berro-Amadeï denounced the daily violations of international law and basic freedoms in Ukraine, and reiterated the Principality’s support for vulnerable populations, through funding for multilateral projects. She noted that the stability of the Mediterranean region was another major challenge, given the gave concerns over the situation in the Middle East.

The Minister also congratulated the Maltese presidency, whose efforts enabled an agreement to be reached on the appointment of four senior OSCE officials. Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu (Turkey), Maria Telalian (Greece), Christophe Kamp (Netherlands) and Jan Braathu (Norway) have been appointed, respectively, as Secretary-General, Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, High Commissioner on National Minorities and OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. Each is appointed for a three-year term.

With 2025 marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, the founding act of the OSCE, Isabelle Berro-Amadeï once again emphasised the importance of a multidimensional approach to security.

On the margins of the Ministerial Council, the Minister held bilateral meetings with her counterparts from Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Portugal and Japan, at which a number of different issues of shared interest were discussed.