Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Welcomed OSCE Chairman-in-Office Bujar Osmani in Kyiv
The Organisation for Cooperation and Security (OSCE) Chairman-in-Office and Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. Osmani ensured support for Ukraine during Russia’s “unjustified and unprovoked war”.
OSCE Chairman-in-Office Bujar Osmani (r) Visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as Part of the OSCE 2023 Program. / Picture: © Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia
As part of his visit to Kyiv, OSCE Chairman Bujar Osmani held a meeting with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, where he expressed his support for the Ukrainian Government, stressing that the OSCE supports the Ukrainian people and efforts to restore peace and stabilize the region. In his visit to Ukraine, Chairman Osmani witnessed first-hand how Russia's senseless and unjustified war continues to impact the Ukrainian people and called on the Russian Federation to cease its aggression immediately.
"President Zelensky's sacrifice and commitment to the protection of the Ukrainian people and his courage in facing the challenges and consequences of the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine are impressive. I call on Russia to immediately end the aggression, The OSCE supports the Ukrainian people and will continue to monitor the situation closely. This support is necessary for Ukrainian efforts to restore peace and build a stable future for its citizens", Osmani pointed out. Osmani said that the OSCE has the mechanisms and capacity to help people from conflict areas through fieldwork.
“The OSCE can significantly increase attention and act accordingly regarding the deportation of our people from the occupied territory to Russia. No international organization has found the strength to gain access to the places of detention of our prisoners in Russia yet. This must be corrected.” Zelensky said, according to Euronews. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine and its allies have accused Russia of deporting Ukrainians on a large scale. In the past year, the U.S. State Department estimated between 900,000 and 1.6 million Ukrainians were deported to Russian territory by force.
There are several multidimensional projects under the newly launched OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine aimed at assisting Ukraine's civilian population and strengthening its institutions. Humanitarian demining efforts will be supported, disaster risk reduction will be improved, and the Ukrainian government will be supported in its efforts to reform. The visit of Osmani to Ukraine is part of the Macedonian Chairmanship's 2023 OSCE priorities.