Italy’s Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Maria Tripodi, delegated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, headed the Italian delegation attending the meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which is being held in Skopje under the Chairmanship-in-Office of North Macedonia. The OSCE Ministerial Council, composed of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the 57 participating States, is the central decision-making and governing body of the Organisation. In her speech, Undersecretary Tripodi reiterated Italy’s strong condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its commitment to support Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. She also welcomed the appointment of Malta as OSCE Chairman for next year and strongly advocated the renewal of the mandates of all four of the Organisation’s top posts. Italy is among the main contributors to the OSCE, both financially and in terms of human resources, being committed to ensuring that the Organisation operates properly in defence of the principles of peace and security at its core and the common commitments undertaken by the participating States to respect international law, human rights and fundamental freedoms. Despite the negative impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the OSCE has been able to use the mechanisms at its disposal in a flexible manner. For example, it activated the Moscow Mechanism to investigate the atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine or to analyse the environmental impact of the war, such as the destruction of the Kakhovka dam. The OSCE remains the only international forum where Russia and Ukraine sit at the same table on an equal footing and where Italy, together with the European Union and its G7 and NATO partners, discusses the progress of the conflict on a weekly basis, calling Russia to account. On the sidelines of the meeting, Undersecretary Tripodi had talks with the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Matteo Mecacci, and with the Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Roberto Montella. Undersecretary Tripodi also met the staff serving at the Embassy of Italy in Skopje, and thanked them for their work in defending and promoting national interests in several areas of activity.