Russia and the United States oppose increasing funding for the OSCE, Russian Permanent Representative to the OSCE Dmitry Polyansky said.
“They [the Americans - ed.] are against any increase in the budget. This position suits us; it coincides with our priorities,” he said.Meanwhile, he noted, European countries continue to insist on ramping up the organization’s funding.“There is a rule that if the budget is not agreed on, the previous financial level [of the previous year] is used. So the OSCE will not be left completely without money in any case,” he noted.The question of who will lead the OSCE next year is still up in the air. Right now, two candidates are in the mix—Cyprus and Georgia. But according to Polyansky, Russia is finding it hard to nail down a clear stance on Georgia’s bid just yet.Georgia, he pointed out, has not taken that step yet.“So, therefore it is difficult for us to determine a clear position, because we simply do not understand what is being discussed,” the diplomat explained, further noting that “it would be good to get some clarity from our Georgian colleagues.”
© Sputnik / Ilya Pitalev / Go to the mediabankRepresentatives of the OSCE monitoring mission in Donetsk
Meanwhile, he noted, European countries continue to insist on ramping up the organization’s funding.
“There is a rule that if the budget is not agreed on, the previous financial level [of the previous year] is used. So the OSCE will not be left completely without money in any case,” he noted.
The question of who will lead the OSCE next year is still up in the air. Right now, two candidates are in the mix—Cyprus and Georgia. But according to Polyansky, Russia is finding it hard to nail down a clear stance on Georgia’s bid just yet.
“We do not quite understand what a Georgian chairmanship could offer Russia and the organization as a whole. Usually preliminary consultations are held on this: the country that intends to chair states some priorities, meets with colleagues and explains them,” the diplomat noted.
“So, therefore it is difficult for us to determine a clear position, because we simply do not understand what is being discussed,” the diplomat explained, further noting that “it would be good to get some clarity from our Georgian colleagues.”
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