Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Zbigniew Rau speaks at the OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum in Prague
08.09.2022
On 8 September, Minister Zbigniew Rau visited Prague, where, in his capacity as the OSCE’s Chairman-in-Office, he opened the 30th OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum.
“The negative impact of COVID-19 was only a prelude to a larger set of challenges that all OSCE participating states must deal with nowadays,” said Minister Rau.
“Russia’s illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine challenges everything that humanity stands for. This war runs counter to our common values and the desire and right to life in peace. It has caused an unprecedented humanitarian disaster in the region, and forced millions of people to flee their homes. The Russian aggression will bring economic and environmental harm for generations to come,” he added.
Furthermore, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office met with OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid, the United States Permanent Representative to the OSCE Michael Carpenter and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jan Lipavský.
The 30th OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum summarised the discussions held this year on issues broadly related to the economic and environmental consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
Łukasz Jasina
MFA Press Spokesperson
Photo: Sebastian Indra / MFA
