Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional organization which consists of 57 States of Europe, Central Asia and North America.

The Republic of Belarus has been a participant of the OSCE since January 30, 1992. Since 1992, the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Belarus to the OSCE has been operating in Vienna (Austria).

Belarus takes an active part in the Organization's activities within the framework of its substantive and subsidiary bodies, including the OSCE Permanent Council (PC) and its Committees, the Forum for Security Cooperation (FSC), as well as the Joint Consultative Group (JCG) and the Open Skies Consultative Commission (OSCC) – the negotiation bodies of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Force in Europe and the Treaty on Open Skies. From January to April 2020 Belarus chaired the OSCC, and from April to August 2022 Belarus was the Chair of the FSC.

Within the OSCE, Belarus supports activities to counter complex transnational threats and challenges, including the fight against all forms of human trafficking. In this context the international conference “Preventing and Countering Terrorism in the Digital Age”, which took place in Minsk on 9-10 October 2018 under the OSCE aegis, was a landmark event.

The Republic of Belarus consistently advocates strengthening the OSCE’s potential for conflict resolution, restoring trust in the OSCE region. One of our undoubted priorities is the speedy resolution of the conflict in and around Ukraine. For these purposes, Belarus provided the necessary assistance, including in 2014-2021, by providing a platform for holding meetings of the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine, and supporting the activities of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.

Among the priorities of Belarus within the OSCE are increasing efforts to counter intolerance, discrimination, combating manifestations of xenophobia and neo-Nazism; promoting economic connectivity in the OSCE area, promoting interconnectedness in the development of digital economies and societies, developing human capital. It is of paramount importance to promote on the OSCE platform the topics with the greatest unifying potential and having cross-dimensional coverage.

The Delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus takes part in the work of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA). Belarus initiated the adoption of a number of the Assembly’s resolutions on the subjects of combatting trafficking in human beings, promoting new and renewable sources of energy, “green” economy, protecting and promoting social and economic rights, responding to the appearance of new psychoactive substances, developing of the digital economy in the OSCE area, strategic forecasting in science, as well as developing of technologies and innovations for sustainable growth.

In July 2017, the Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly took place in Minsk for the first time ever. The event was opened by the President of the Republic of Belarus. 

In April 2019 Minsk hosted the International Parliamentary Conference of the OSCE PA Silk Road Support Group “Belt and Road: Deepening Cooperation for Sustainable Development and Prosperity” initiated by the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus. The Minsk Declaration was adopted during the conference.

Belarus’ representatives work in the OSCE Secretariat, its institutions and field missions.

The Republic of Belarus has been developing cooperation with the following OSCE Institutions – Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Representative on Freedom of the Media, as well as the OSCE Secretariat, including Coordinator of the OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities and Special Representative / Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings.

During the last meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council (November 30 – December 1, 2023, Skopje, North Macedonia), Belarus supported Russia in promoting the joint statement of the group of CSTO member states “On the current situation in the OSCE area in the field of security", which stated the importance of maintaining the OSCE as a regional forum operating on the basis of the principles of consensus and sovereign equality of states, and the need to increase the effectiveness of the organization’s activities.