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Statement by the Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the OSCE, Ambassador Giedrius Čekuolis, at the 901st meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on 9 February 2012

Distinguished Members of the OSCE Permanent Council,

I am taking the floor today to speak on behalf of my Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Audronius Ažubalis.

Building consensus was the trademark of the Lithuanian Chairmanship of the OSCE, were it the water projects in Georgia or selection of the Secretary-General or the Human Dimension agenda. Putting aside national agendas, we had sought to implement our commitments and the Astana tasking. It was with the genuine commitment that the Lithuanian Chairmanship negotiated, in earnest and late into the night of the Vilnius Ministerial meeting, the decision on the OSCE Consecutive Chairmanships in 2014 and 2015.

It is highly regrettable that one participating State aspiring to chair the OSCE has lately demonstrated the tendency to disregard rules and traditions as well as consensus building in another forum where compromise and consensus building are of no less importance.

We refuse to give in to the logic of rules breaking and playing tit-for-tat. We also refuse to accept the logic of “withdraw or else…” which some among this membership are trying to impose on us. The logic of ultimatums and pressure is not what this Organization stands for.

In the past, this Organization was essential in giving voice to the then captive nations like mine and in promoting democracy and rules-based behavior on the European continent and beyond. 

In full respect of the democratic principles and rules-based behavior and considering the role this Organization has played and continues to play in helping countries and regions to deal with the challenges of confidence building, sustaining democracy and protecting human rights, we shall not undertake measures which would hinder this organization’s work.

Not because we are giving in to pressure from some quarters. And not because we would doubt our strength to stand up to the efforts by some to limit the exercise of our full membership rights.

We do so because we care for and believe in this organization.

And it is because we care for and believe in this organization that we are compelled to draw the attention of its members to the potential risks and consequences of putting at its helm a country whose leadership is having a clear difficulty playing by the rules.     

We cannot help but question in principle whether anyone willing for personal ambition to disregard the need for consensus, which is cardinal to the functioning of this organization, will be ready to chair the OSCE. Will the OSCE be better off with a Chair who prefers division over consensus and is ready to forge ahead in spite of broader group interests?

However, it is a collective decision and collective responsibility. As a participating State we stand by and honour our commitments, and will continue to act in a transparent, principled and rules-based manner, for the sake of the broader goals and objectives of this organisation.

In the interests of the OSCE and with a hope that all the future chairs -in-office will live up to the expectations of a fair, constructive, and consensual cooperation among all member states, Lithuania is not breaking the silence procedure regarding the future OSCE Chairmanships.

Do not be mistaken. It is not an easy decision for us because we are well aware of the implications of this chairmanship for the Organization as a whole. However, we choose to believe in the Serbia of tomorrow and hope that Serbia’s OSCE chairmanship will contribute to strengthening Serbia’s European vocation and commitment to democratic values and rules-based approach. We also hope that Serbia will do its absolute utmost in pursuing peace-building efforts in the Balkan region.

Mr. Chairperson, I would like to respectfully request that this statement be attached to the Journal of the Day.

Thank you, Mr. Chairperson.