Kasis: OSCE's Next Chair Should Be Chosen by Broad Consensus

OSCE Chairman Ignazio Cassis says the 57 participating states of the organization should decide by broad consensus who will chair the OSCE next year. At the same time, he said, the selection of the next candidate for 2028 is also underway. Cassis made the statement at a briefing in Tbilisi together with Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili.

According to Cassis, he wants all possible ways of resolving the issue to be explored over the next several weeks. He explained that the issue was discussed in detail this week, including today, and that they agreed to continue searching for solutions for several weeks.

"As the end of the year approaches, the sense of urgency is growing. [...] After this, it will be necessary to activate the mechanisms we have envisaged for the financial support of the organization. The aim is to find a solution by the end of November so that the funding issue is no longer on the agenda at the conference in Tallinn, Estonia," Cassis said.

He said this is only a wish and does not guarantee a result, but he hopes that all participating states of the organization will help find a solution. Cassis also noted that the tri-cut process, which involves the participation of former, current and future chairs, is important for the stability of the organization and ensures stability and predictability.