OSCE Secretary General Sinirlioğlu on war in Ukraine: Time to put diplomacy first
OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioğlu said that the war in Ukraine is an "open wound in the heart of Europe", calling for diplomacy to be put first to end it.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Ukrinform.
"My first words here today cannot but concern Ukraine. The ongoing war is an open wound in the heart of Europe. It has killed and wounded more than a million people, led to countless displacements, and destroyed cities and villages. And it must end now. It is time to put diplomacy first again," he emphasized.
Separately, the OSCE Secretary General reminded of three OSCE staff members - Vadym Golda, Maksym Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov - who are being held captive in occupied Donetsk and Luhansk. He stated that he would "do everything possible" to return them to their families.
Sinirlioğlu also expressed confidence that the OSCE could play a key role in the future if a consensus is reached.
As noted, the absence of a mention of Russia as an aggressor has drawn criticism, as Sinirlioğlu did not call Moscow a violator of OSCE principles and commitments, despite the obvious facts about the war it has unleashed in Ukraine.
