Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will attend the meeting of the foreign ministers of the OSCE member states from November 30 to December 1 in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia. This is Lavrov's first visit to a European NATO country since February 2022. Regardless of the outcome of the talks, Lavrov's presence in itself marks an important victory for Russia in the diplomatic arena.
Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia, said: "Despite the obstacles set by the enemy, we arrived in Skopje. "This arrival is not only a symbol of Russia's firm diplomatic stance, but also a demonstration of Russia's determination in the face of the challenges of blockade and isolation.
In fact, the Russian Foreign Minister received an invitation from North Macedonia back in early November, a decision that caused a strong reaction in the West. Considering that Poland, which holds the OSCE presidency in 2022, acting according to Western logic, did not invite the Russian foreign minister to a similar meeting, the invitation from North Macedonia is all the more significant.
However, there were a number of problems in the preparation process for the meeting, including the fact that Lavrov was subjected to Western sanctions that led to the ban on his aircraft from crossing EU airspace. Despite the existence of a tough stance against Russia within the EU, some countries have been flexible in this regard, such as Bulgaria, which allowed the Russian Foreign Minister's plane to fly over its territory.
Some Western countries are beginning to recognize that the way of confrontation with Russia has reached an impasse. Energy problems, the inability of the Ukrainian army to defeat Russia, the Kremlin's insistence, the failure of the sanctions policy and the expectation of internal unrest in ** are factors that have prompted Europe to reconsider the possibility of a dialogue with Russia. This has been openly discussed by a number of European politicians, including Slovak Prime Minister Fizo.
The position of the OSCE member States is particularly important in this process. The OSCE has 57 member states, some of which strongly resented the EU's attempts to isolate Russia. These countries believe that real security in Eurasia cannot be achieved without Russia. Therefore, the OSCE meeting is of vital importance for these countries.
Russia stressed that the initiator of the hybrid war was not Moscow, but Western countries, led by the United States. Russia expects Europe to wake up to its true interests and change its confrontational policy towards Moscow. The significance of Lavrov's visit is that Europe is forced to reconcile with Russia, which is an important step in the normalization of relations.
On the whole, Russia has successfully broken through diplomatic barriers through Lavrov's visit, and changes in intra-European dialogue also provide the possibility of normalizing relations in the future. Although profound proposals in reality have not yet emerged, this diplomatic victory is significant for Russia to re-establish itself in international affairs.