Russian Foreign Minister SergeiLavrovPlans to travel to North Macedonia to attend the OSCE meeting have attracted great attention. First of all, North Macedonia isNATO membershipOne of them,LavrovThis visit to NATO countries marks the beginning of Moscow's visitThe conflict in UkraineFor the first time in history, a special military operation was carried out. Secondly,LavrovThis is the participation of the OSCE meeting. Russia, although a member of the OSCE, has had strained relations with the West in recent years, and there are even rumors that the OSCE is helping Ukraine in its military operations in the Donbass. Before the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Russia refused to participate in the meeting in BelarusMilitary XiOSCE Special Session. It can be said that relations between Russia and the OSCE were once strained, and the Russian side's initiative to participate in the meeting this time means that the relationship is willing to ease, and the relevant details also prove this.
However, the Russian top ** has been restricted in terms of travel to foreign countries for conferences, especially to Western countries. Due to sanctions against Russia,NATO membershipFlights to Russia have been banned. However, this timeLavrovThe flight path needed to get to North Macedonia was supported by Bulgaria. Lavrovwill be subject to passage when flying over Bulgarian airspace. This means:LavrovThe itinerary will pass through one NATO country and enter another, and he will be treated all the way. This also reflects from the side that NATO really wants to have face-to-face contacts with Russia, otherwise it can be completely preventedLavrovParticipants. The North Macedonian meeting provided a rare opportunity for both Russia and NATO to show their willingness to ease relations.
At present, the call for peace talks in the West is getting louder and louder, but it will take a certain transition process to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table. Among them, the contact between the United States and Russia is crucial. WhileUS-RussiaThere also needs to be a buffer in public contact. The North Macedonian meeting sent a signal of détente. The mission of the OSCE is to provide a platform for member states to consult on European security mattersNATO membershipand Russia, the main role is to ease relations between East and West. It can be said that at the moment there is no more suitable platform for dealing with relations between NATO and Russia than the OSCE. NATO pairsLavrovThe participation of the organization also demonstrates the organization's willingness to listen to Russia.
However, whenLavrovAfter saying that it planned to participate in the North Macedonian meeting, Ukraine quickly stated that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba and the Ukrainian delegation would not participate in the meeting. Ukraine itself turned itself away. The West would rather offend Ukraine than let itLavrovParticipation in the meeting, which reflects their willingness to engage with Russia. In addition,LavrovIt was revealed that his office had received requests from foreign ministers of other countries for bilateral meetings in Skopje. And these"Other countries"Most likely, it will be the countries participating in this meeting, that is, Western countries that maintain normal relations with Russia. With Ukraine's refusal to participate, the meeting gave the impression that the West and Russia were discussing how to deal with Ukraine, which may indeed be the case. If the West wants to reach an agreement, the meeting is likely to be a negotiation involving the division of interests among all parties.
LavrovTraveling to North Macedonia to attend the OSCE meeting has attracted attention from the outside world. This action shows the willingness to ease relations between NATO and Russia. Despite Russia's disagreements with the West over Ukraine, Western countries are willing to engage with Russia, despite Ukraine's displeasure over it. At present, the voice of the West calling for peace talks is growing louder, hoping to promote a solution by easing relationsThe conflict in Ukraine。And the OSCE as a both containsNATO membershipThe organization, which also includes Russia, has become precisely a platform for promoting dialogue between the two. This meeting could beLavrovUkraine was the focus of an important negotiation with Western countries on how to distribute benefits. In any case, the resolution of the Russia-Ukraine issue still requires the efforts and sacrifices of all partiesLavrovmay be a small step in the peace talks.