OSCE Chairmanship Malta

Criticism of the absence of election observers in Russia

Malta's Ambassador to Austria, Natasha Meli Daudey, criticizes the Kremlin's refusal to allow OSCE election observers to observe the presidential elections in mid-March: "Only independent observers can identify whether elections are free and fair."

Unfortunately, Russia had decided not to allow ODIHR (Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights) to observe the presidential elections, Meli Daudey regretted. Regarding Russia's war against Ukraine, Meli Daudey told the Austrian magazine "Cercle Diplomatique" the position of the neutral island republic of Malta, which took over the OSCE Chairmanship at the beginning of 2024: "Russia must withdraw from the entire territory of Ukraine and end this war. The Maltese Chairmanship is committed to keeping Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine at the top of the OSCE's to-do list."

The Maltese Chairmanship is committed to keeping Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine at the top of the OSCE's to-do list.

Maltas Botschafterin in Österreich, Natasha Meli Daudey

Malta will continue the dialog as the country has a "long history of bringing conflicting parties to the table". "There is hope: the Cold War ended in Malta, where (US President George H.W.) Bush and (Kremlin leader Mikhail) Gorbachev met in 1989. Of course, this happened during a period of détente."

Long agenda
Malta, which is currently also a member of the United Nations Security Council (UN), will also use both functions for synergies, for example in the fight for climate protection. During its OSCE Chairmanship, Malta will also focus on digitalization, cyber threats, the sustainable economy and media freedom. The safety of journalists online and offline is a particular focus. The investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb in Malta in 2017. According to Meli Daudey, the trial against the alleged perpetrator, a Maltese businessman, will begin in the coming months.