Thank you, Mr Chair.
High Commissioner, thank you for your report. The United Kingdom remains a strong supporter of your mandate and of the dedicated professionals who carry it out across the OSCE region. Your report once again demonstrates the importance and value of your office, and underlines the continuing impact you and your team have in contributing to our shared security across Europe.
We particularly value your role in providing early warning and early action, identifying risks and supporting participating States to address tensions before they escalate into conflict.
Your work is guided by a clear and deliberate principle quiet diplomacy. That principle is central to your mandate, and for good reason. Managing tensions related to national minorities often requires discretion, trust, and sustained engagement away from the spotlight. Not all your work is visible, and nor should it be. We respect that approach and fully support it. As your report illustrates, this quiet diplomacy translates into sustained dialogue with authorities and communities.
Your travel and engagement across the region underline the value of your work in a wide range of often highly sensitive contexts. Your thematic work, including on multilingual education and contested histories is an important part of the OSCE’s conflict‑prevention toolbox.
The United Kingdom continues to value your engagement across the OSCE region. And for this reason, we are proud to be supporting your office with extrabudgetary funding this year.
We particularly welcome your continued focus on Ukraine. Russia’s aggression has inflicted immense suffering on civilians, including persons belonging to national minorities. Against this backdrop, we commend the Ukrainian authorities for their continued engagement with your office. As your report notes, Ukraine has continued to develop and refine legislative and policy frameworks related to national minorities and indigenous peoples, and to engage in dialogue with communities. We welcome your ongoing work with Ukraine, including your visits to Kyiv and Chernivtsi, and your efforts to provide advice and analysis that will contribute to social cohesion, recovery and reconstruction. We also underline the importance of maintaining attention on the situation in areas of Ukraine’s sovereign territory temporarily under Russian occupation.
More broadly, the issues your office addresses are not diminishing in relevance. On the contrary, managing diversity, protecting the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, and addressing grievances before they escalate will remain essential tasks for European security for many years to come.
High Commissioner, thank you again to you and your team. You can count on the United Kingdom’s continued support and cooperation. Thank you.
