Malta was given a gargantuan task when it was roped in at the 11th hour to steer the OSCE last year, after Russia vetoed the Estonian chair.
Other countries normally have years to prepare to chair the 57-nation bloc. Malta had weeks.
Tiny Malta, chosen as a consensus state due to its neutrality, has proven again it can punch above its weight on the international stage as evidenced bu the successful conclusion of the 31st ministerial council at Ta’ Qali.
“On behalf of Finland, I want to congratulate Malta for an excellent stewardship of the OSCE this year,” said Finland’s foreign minister and incoming OSCE chair-in-office, Elina Valtonen, at the end of the meeting.
Against all odds, and as an honest broker, Malta managed to find consensus among all participating states to fill the top four leadership positions of the secretariat and institutions of the OSCE.
Foreign Minister Ian Borg said the agreement signals the collective determination of the participating states to strengthen the organisation and equip it to respond effectively to the evolving security landscape.
The OSCE was created 50 years ago during the Cold War era to help find common ground between the Soviet Union and the West. Building it as a platform for dialogue and cooperation among states has never been easy. Reliance on consensus can both be a strength and a vulnerability, especially when one member state wields disproportionate power to veto progress.
But it is the only security organisation in which everyone important to the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security architecture sits at one table. And when the Cold War returns with a vengeance, that discussion becomes more important than ever.
The OSCE will have a meaningful future only if it is used for dialogue and negotiation, instead of eclipsing it by military alliances and weaponising it against any of its members.
Organisations are paralysed while Moscow is part of them amid the war in Ukraine
And this includes Russia, which was once again the elephant in the room. Its brutal war against its neighbour Ukraine continues to be the main topic of conversation. Russia has few allies in a shameful war where it continues to indulge in murder and sabotage, as well as conventional, cyber and hybrid threats towards its neighbours and other OSCE states.
Poland's foreign minister has called for Russia to be expelled from the UN Security Council and the OSCE regional security forum, saying the organisations are paralysed while Moscow is part of them amid the war in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov won little public support when he marched into the Ta’ Qali hall and indulged in his anti-Western rhetoric, before proceeding to call a closed press conference for Russian journalists without offering the slightest olive branch.
But it is an open secret in diplomacy that there is often a gulf between political public posturing and what is really said behind closed doors. And we believe it is always better to engage in some form of discussion with your ‘enemies’.
And that is why member states must ensure that unilateral structures like the OSCE are given the necessary leadership, legitimacy and resources not to morph into dysfunctional entities.
In 2017, OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger said: “Security begins with trust – and trust begins with dialogue. It is high time we revive it today.
At the same time, we must be pragmatic and find common ground where interests coincide, and build a unifying agenda for the OSCE. Small but steady steps will produce incremental progress.”
Seven years later, with war and division undermining security and cooperation in Europe, those words are truer than ever.