News and press releases

HELSINKI, 17 January 2025 — OSCE Secretary General Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu concluded his visit to Helsinki today, marking his first official visit as OSCE Secretary General.

VALLETTA, 6 December 2024 — The 31st OSCE Ministerial Council in Malta concluded with key decisions on the appointment of four senior officials to lead the OSCE’s Secretariat and institutions. This achievement underscores a lasting commitment of the 57 participating States to strengthen the Organization’s ability to act, particularly in times of crisis and conflict.

VALLETTA/VIENNA 03 September 2024 – Today, the OSCE Chair-in-Office, Malta's Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade Ian Borg, informed the 57 participating States that, in the absence of a consensus on the appointment of a new OSCE leadership, he has taken immediate action to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of the Organization during this transitional period.

VALLETTA/VIENNA, 12 July – The OSCE Chair-in-Office, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Ian Borg, and OSCE Secretary General, Helga Maria Schmid, unequivocally condemn today’s sentencing of OSCE official Vadym Golda to 14 years in prison as a result of so-called “legal proceedings” and call for the immediate release of all three OSCE officials in detention, which also include Maxim Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov.

Today, OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid acknowledged the remarkable achievements of OSCE staff in advancing gender equality and empowering women in the Organization at the fifth award ceremony held at the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna.

VALLETTA/VIENNA, 18 April – This week marks two years since three OSCE officials were unjustly detained in Luhansk and Donetsk. The OSCE Chair-in-Office, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Ian Borg, and OSCE Secretary General, Helga Maria Schmid, reiterated the demand for their immediate release and urged all members of the international community to amplify this message.

VIENNA, 24 February – Today, as we mark the second year of Russia’s full scale war against Ukraine, the OSCE Troika- Chair-in-Office of the OSCE and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Ian Borg, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen- and OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid call on Russia to immediately stop its war against Ukraine and to respect the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.