Skopje, 29 November 2023 (MIA) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is to arrive Wednesday afternoon in Skopje, where he will attend the 30th Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) taking place on Thursday and Friday. 

Blinken is arriving in Skopje from Brussels, where he took part in the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers. The U.S. Secretary of State will hold a meeting with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani, and attend an informal dinner ahead of the OSCE ministerial Council on Thursday. Following the OSCE meeting in Skopje, Blinken will travel to Israel.  

"During his visit to North Macedonia, Secretary Blinken will engage with OSCE counterparts, reaffirming the United States’ steadfast commitment to the OSCE and its core mission of promoting security, stability, and cooperation among states, with a particular emphasis on human rights and peaceful resolution of disputes. Secretary Blinken will also highlight the pivotal role played by the OSCE in advancing comprehensive security across the region and thank North Macedonia for its leadership role," said the U.S. Department of State.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavtrov's attendance at the ministerial meeting in Skopje is a rare occasion for both diplomats to find themselves in the same place since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, though a meeting between Blinken and Lavrov has not been scheduled thus far. 

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien told reporters in Washington on Monday that Secretary of State Blinken is leading the U.S. delegation at the OSCE Ministerial Council that will take place in Skopje to discuss together with OSCE colleagues the support for Ukraine, however, it is not clear whether he will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov there. 

"On the OSCE, Secretary Blinken is leading our delegation. He’ll be there at the – Wednesday right after the end of NATO ministerial. So we anticipate that he’ll engage in a good discussion with our OSCE colleagues about support for Ukraine," O'Brien said.

Lavrov's arrival was made possible after North Macedonia and Bulgaria temporarily suspended the EU airspace sanctions for Russian aircrafts.

As a result, Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and his Baltic counterparts have decided to boycott the Skopje event.

The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, stated Tuesday that he will be travelling to Skopje for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) meeting, but he will not be holding talks with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Borrell, at Tuesday's press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Brussels, explained that he would not want the seat of the European Union to be empty at the OSCE meeting. He said that he would attend the official dinner, but then he would have to return immediately to attend other meetings in Brussels.

Borrell announced that the main work on new European sanctions against Russia due to the war in Ukraine has been completed. He expressed hope that the relevant decision will be adopted in December.

The 30th OSCE Ministerial Council in Skopje will bring together 76 delegations from 57 OSCE member-states and partners.

The 2024 OSCE chair is to be decided at the Ministerial Council, with consensus reached at the preparatory meeting of ambassadors of the 57 member-states in Vienna earlier in the week that Malta takes over the Chairpersonship. Delegates will also make decisions on the organization's budget and appointments to key positions within OSCE institutions.

Photo: EPA / MIA archive