Skopje, 29 November 2023 (MIA) - North Macedonia is hosting November 29-December 1 the 30th Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), with about 1,000 delegates expected to attend, making it the largest political-diplomatic event in the country on record.

The Council will bring together 76 delegations from 57 OSCE member-states and partners.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister will attend, 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. Although a meeting has not been scheduled, analysts do not exclude the option of their meeting focused on the Ukraine conflict.

Secretary Blinken is set to arrive on Wednesday and meet with Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairman-in-Office Bujar Osmani.

Lavrov's arrival was made possible after North Macedonia and Bulgaria temporarily suspended the EU airspace sanctions for Russian aircraft. As a result, Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and his Baltic counterparts have decided to boycott the Skopje event.

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.

The Council will begin with an informal dinner this evening and officially open on Thursday at the Boris Trajkovski Sports Hall, which has been repurposed for the event. Heads of delegations will give media statements upon arrival at the venue, ahead of the opening plenary session at 10 am.

Two side events are planned on Thursday: signing of the Joint Statement on Combating Corruption in South-Eastern Europe through Asset Recovery and Use of Digitalization, followed by "Addressing the Impact of Climate Change on Human Security in the OSCE Area".

On Friday, three side events will take place themed "Youth and Civil Society", "It's About People - the impact of OSCE field operations in 2023", and "Preserving Pluralism - Safety of Women Journalists".

Accredited journalists will be able to follow the Council closing plenary session, followed by a final press conference of OSCE CiO Osmani and Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has told MIA that over 300 journalists from the country and abroad are set to cover the OSCE Ministerial Council.

Due to the event, the Government decided to shorten the public administration's working hours on Wednesday and declare a non-working day for administration, elementary and secondary schools at the territory of Skopje on Thursday. In addition, a section of the city streets will be closed for traffic.

Photo: MIA/MFA