At the 27th OSCE Ministerial Council on 4 December 2020, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) 57 participating States appointed a new senior leadership for the Organisation.

I welcome the appointment of Ms Helga Maria Schmid as Secretary General, Mr Kairat Abdrakhmanov as High Commissioner on National Minorities, Mr Matteo Mecacci as Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), and Ms Maria Teresa Ribeiro as Representative on the Freedom of the Media.

I extend my sincere congratulations to all and look forward to working with them to further enhance EU-OSCE cooperation. I am confident that with this highly qualified leadership, the OSCE will be able to continue its efforts to address the numerous ongoing challenges and contribute to peace, security and stability in its region.

I would like to thank in particular Helga Maria Schmid for her unrivalled contribution to the European Union’s global action, and pay tribute to the remarkable achievements she has accomplished both as Secretary General, and previously as Deputy Secretary General/Political Director, of the European External Action Service (EEAS). I wish her great success in her new capacity and look forward to our continued close cooperation.

As the world’s largest regional security organisation, with a geographic area spanning from Vancouver to Vladivostok, the OSCE is a cornerstone of the multilateral rules-based order and the European security architecture.

The European Union will continue to support the OSCE in its vital work.