In a high-stakes diplomatic gathering Sergei Lavrov and Antony Blinken could meet at the OSCE conference in Malta (its Lavrovs first EU visit since the Ukraine situation began about 2‚5 years ago)
The yearly meeting brings together officials from 57 nations to discuss security matters; however the Ukraine topic dominates the agenda. Recent agreements on staff positions show some progress - including Feridun Sinirlioglus appointment as secretary-general (who briefly led Turkish foreign ministry about 9 years ago)
Their last brief face-to-face happened during a G20 event roughly 1‚5 years ago. Hereʼs what happened then:
I heard nothing new about US positions We need to engage in diplomacy [[Blinken stated at press conference]]
The gathering happens as political changes loom in Washington - with new leadership expected next month. The OSCE which started as a cold-war dialogue platform faces modern-day challenges: Armenia and Azerbaijan dont agree with budget plans‚ while Russia sees the organization as too western-oriented
Finland prepares to lead OSCE next year marking the organizations 50-year milestone. The meeting aims to settle various inter-state issues but experts say finding common ground remains hard in todays geo-political climate