Switzerland elected to chair the OSCE for 2026

The countries of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have chosen Switzerland to chair the OSCE for 2026. This was announced on December 30 by the press service of the country's government.

"On December 30, 2024, Jan Borg, Foreign Minister of Malta and OSCE Chairman-in-Office, announced the election of Switzerland to the chairmanship for 2026," the press service said.

It added that the state takes over the OSCE leadership at a time when the organization is going through difficult times due to geopolitical events. The press service noted that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which are OSCE member states, "seriously limits the organization's room for maneuver."

"By assuming the chairmanship, Switzerland emphasizes how important it is to ensure dialogue and cooperation with all participating States, especially in politically challenging times," the government said.

Malta holds the organization's chairmanship in 2024, while Finland has been chosen in 2025. Switzerland will chair the OSCE for the third time in 2026, before that it chaired the organization in 1996 and 2014.

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Earlier, on December 25, Russia's Permanent Representative to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich said that many OSCE member states began to directly support the interests of NATO and the European Union. Thus, the international organization found itself somewhere on the sidelines and simply serves the interests of the West. In addition, an atmosphere of "anti-Russian hysteria has been established in the OSCE, when Russia was accused of all possible sins".

Earlier, on December 5, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that there are no spheres in which the OSCE can be useful in terms of its tasks. In his opinion, there is no room for either cooperation or security in the real policy within the OSCE. The minister noted that the West, especially the United States, has already taken NATO and the EU under its thumb and this does not make anyone better off.