DISINFO: The West uses the OSCE to control the Eastern space
DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
  • Outlet: eadaily.com (archived)*
  • Date of publication: November 23, 2020
  • Outlet language(s): Russian
  • Reported in: Issue 223
  • Countries / regions discussed: EU
Tags:
Council of Europe European Union OSCE NATO

DISINFO: The West uses the OSCE to control the Eastern space

SUMMARY

The OSCE is being used by the West as a tool to control the Eastern space. This, of course, creates additional dividing lines, such as between teachers and students. Attempts to appropriate a pan-European organisation like the OSCE and subordinate it to the interests of NATO or the European Union have not gone away. Unfortunately, today, it not only determines the essence of what is happening in the OSCE (for example, the Council of Europe has the same problems), but also largely creates an absolutely abnormal psychological atmosphere in the organisation.

We saw how dishonestly the Bureau and a number of Western countries behaved against the background of the events in Belarus. ODIHR refused to send observers to the elections, and after that Western countries said that they could not recognise the voting results in Belarus

RESPONSE

This is an unfounded statement, which attempts to discredit international organisations. Pro-Kremlin media often use the method of denigrating and defaming international organisations such as the OSCE, Council of Europe, WHO, WADA or OPCW, portraying those as anti-Russian, Russophobic and practicing double standards.

The claim that ODIHR refused to send observers to Belarus is misleading. The ODIHR stated it did not send observers because is was not invited by Belarus. ODIHR Director Sólrún Gísladóttir said that "The lack of a timely invitation more than two months after the announcement of the election has prevented ODIHR from observing key aspects of the electoral process."

Six or seven weeks of preparations are needed to prepare a real independent and reliable observance mission. Moreover, the conditions were already very difficult: the presidential election campaign in Belarus was accompanied by unprecedented violence since the very early stage of the campaign.

See similar cases claiming that OSCE’s position on Belarus was decided even before the elections happened, that OSCE refused to observe elections in Belarus, or that PACE manifests double standards.

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Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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