High Commissioner on National Minorities welcomes agreement in Skopje and highlights the situation in Crimea in her statement to the OSCE Permanent Council

In her statement to the Permanent Council on 16 July, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Astrid Thors provided information on her institution’s activities since November 2014 highlighting the political developments in Skopje and the situation on the Crimean peninsula.

Thors welcomed this week’s agreement between political leaders in Skopje. This agreement opens up a new phase to address structural issues of good governance. As she highlighted in her statement, “the overall issues at stake – pluralistic democracy, separation of powers and rule of law – are inextricably linked with lasting stability. They are prerequisites for the stability of the country and for the integration of society”. She called on the political leaders to pay attention to the emerging inter-ethnic solidarity in the country and to show commitment to the integration of society. The High Commissioner expressed hope to see new initiatives with regard to integration.

Thors drew attention to highly disturbing trends following the Russian unlawful annexation of the Crimean peninsula, including pressure on those who refuse to accept the “new reality” and a stifling of sources of dissent. “This first and foremost concerns the Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians who do not support de facto authorities,” she said.

In addition, Thors discussed her visits to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Moldova, Georgia and Serbia and stressed the importance of the principle of “integration with respect for diversity”.

The full statement can be found here