As the second and final day of the OSCE Ministerial Council drew to a close, Foreign Minister Ian Borg paid tribute to Malta's work as chair of the organisation over the past year.

Addressing a press conference shortly before the close of the event – the largest ministerial conference to be held in Malta – Borg said the country’s legacy was “not a perfect OSCE, but definitely a more resilient one”.

Describing the OSCE [Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe] as being “at an impasse, faced with fundamental geopolitical divisions and institutional paralysis”, Borg said Malta felt “compelled” to take up the position a year ago.

“At that moment, Malta rose to the occasion, firmly believing in the purpose of the OSCE and its vital role in promoting peace, security and dialogue,” he said.

Borg said he was “proud” Malta had achieved consensus on four top leadership positions just before announcing that Türkiye’s Feridun Sinirlioğlu - also present at the press conference - had been appointed OSCE Secretary General.

A decision on the OSCE budget for 2024, however, was not announced despite being an outstanding issue for the organisation.

Turning to difficulties facing the group, Borg said Russia's invasion of Ukraine had “not only devastated millions of lives - it has also contested the foundations of Europe's security architecture”.

Asked by Times of Malta whether it was time to suspend Russia from the OSCE after calls by Poland’s foreign minister on Thursday to do exactly that, Borg stressed the need for dialogue.

“I would rather have the other 56 [countries]... telling Rusia on the same table to stop this war and withdraw from Ukraine’s sovereign territory,” he said.

Such dialogue has so far proved to be a false hope, however: on Thursday, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov arrived late to the council meeting and used his speech to launch into a volley of anti-Western sentiment while not staying for the remarks of the US.

Asked the same question, incoming secretary-general Sinirlioğlu declined to comment.

Ian Borg spoke alongside incoming secretary-general Feridun Sinirlioğlu at a press conference shortly before the close of the conference. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

When asked about the difficulties he might face in achieving consensus in his term, Sinirlioğlu said he would have to “wait and see” but would try his best to achieve agreement.

In his closing remarks at the end of the conference, Borg warned that while a “crisis in multilateralism” persisted, the OSCE remained a “contributor to peace and prosperity of the people it serves”, adding Malta would continue its work in its final weeks as chair.

Addressing the OSCE ahead of taking over as chair next year, a representative from the Finnish delegation said his country would assume the position "with a sense of responsibility and determination”.

Borg paid tribute to Malta’s team of staff at home and the OSCE headquarters in Vienna in both the press conference and his closing remarks: “You have done your country proud”.