The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) marks the 50th anniversary of its foundation next year. Last week, after months of wrangling, its 57 members meeting in Malta managed to agree on a new leadership team.
The OSCE had been without permanent leadership since early September when the mandate of the previous secretary general and senior officers came to an end, so this is a major breakthrough. The more so when you consider that this meant getting the agreement of Russia and Ukraine and their respective allies and partners.
The OSCE’s new leadership team includes veteran Turkish diplomat Feridun Sinirlioğlu as its secretary general, and Maria Telalian, head of the legal department in the Greek foreign ministry, as director of the human rights office. The current Dutch ambassador to the OSCE, Christophe Kamp, will serve as high commissioner on national minorities, while Jan Braathu, a Norwegian who has led the OSCE mission to Serbia since January 2021, becomes its media freedom chief.
