Prioritise dialogue and diplomacy over confrontation, Deputy Prime Minister Borg tells OSCE states

OSCE Foreign Ministers reconvene in Vienna a year after the 2024 Ministerial Council in Malta

“It is up to all of us to do more to de-escalate, to promote constructive dialogue, to prioritise diplomacy, and to re-invigorate the Helsinki Spirit. Let’s choose cooperation over confrontation, collaboration on shared initiative instead of competition.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Ian Borg, reaffirmed Malta’s commitment to dialogue and international cooperation when he was addressing the 32^nd Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which reconvened in Vienna a year after the landmark meeting in Malta, in December 2024. This year’s Ministerial Council marked the 50^th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, the founding principles endorsed by the organisation’s participating states, in Helsinki.

As part of the OSCE Troika, the Deputy Prime Minister also chaired the Second Plenary Session of the Ministerial Council, on Thursday afternoon.

In his address, Dr Borg emphasised the participating states’ shared commitment to these principles – respecting sovereignty, upholding fundamental rights, resolving disputes peacefully, and cooperating to promote security and stability. “We have a shared responsibility, and a duty, to translate these principles into practice,” he stated.

Referring to the Helsinki+50 discussions on the future of the OSCE, launched by the 2025 Finnish Chairpersonship, the Maltese Deputy Prime Minister reaffirmed that while improvements are needed, “no amount of reforms will make the OSCE work more efficiently if we lack the political will to make it work. The success of the OSCE depends upon us, nobody else, and nothing else.”

Last week’s Ministerial Council marks the end of Malta’s term on the OSCE Troika, comprising the current Chair-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, the incoming 2026 Chair, the Foreign Minister of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis, and Deputy Prime Minister Borg, as the 2025 OSCE Chairperson. Following Malta’s last Troika meeting during this week’s Ministerial Council, Dr Borg pledged Malta’s continued support to the Swiss Presidency in 2026, and to other future Chairs.

In Vienna, the Maltese delegation held bilateral talks with other states participating in the same meeting. Dr Borg also met with Ambassador Jan Braathu, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, to commend him for his efforts to advance media freedom and the protection of journalists, since his appointment last year, at the 2024 Ministerial Council in Malta.

On the eve of the Ministerial Council, Malta also joined other participating states in an informal meeting focusing on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Deputy Prime Minister Borg said that while engaging in the ongoing peace talks, the international community must not set aside plans for the day after, including reconstruction, stability and peace of mind for the people of Ukraine.