OSCE Secretary General shakes hands with Russia's Foreign Minister in Moscow and calls Russia "important partner"

OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioğlu visited Moscow on Tuesday 11 March and met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

At a joint press conference in Moscow on Tuesday, Sinirlioğlu thanked Lavrov for the invitation and for a "productive and frank conversation".

"I am the OSCE Secretary General, and I am committed to working with all 57 participating states... The Russian Federation is a co-founder of the organisation, so it is a very important partner within the OSCE," he added.

Sinirlioğlu added that he would like to "continue to work with Russia on peace and security in Europe, which is why I am here".

Before that, he was shown the "consequences" of a nighttime attack by Ukrainian drones in the town of Vidne in  Moscow Oblast where civilian houses had reportedly been damaged.

He himself evaded the question of whether he would "condemn" Ukraine for these strikes but expressed hope that "the war will end soon".

In December 2024, the OSCE Ministerial Council reached a compromise on the appointment of its leadership, which had been repeatedly blocked by Russia through the consensus principle of decision-making.

The OSCE Secretary General appointed at the time, Feridun Sinirlioğlu, expressed hope that the organisation would contribute to the establishment of peace in Ukraine.