Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, in Vienna, Austria;
Credit: MAE
On Thursday 4 December 2025, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel, attended the 32nd Ministerial Council meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), held in Vienna, Austria.
As reported by Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, which played a key role in easing tensions between East and West during the Cold War. 50 years later, Europe is once again facing war on the continent, and the absence of genuine dialogue between different actors is calling into question the effective functioning of international forums, noted the ministry.
Russia's aggression against Ukraine was central to the discussions, as was the role of the OSCE in strengthening resilience and security in Europe in this context.
During his address, Luxembourg's Foreign Minister stressed that unwavering support for Ukraine - both militarily and politically - is more essential than ever, as Russia seeks to weaken Ukraine before any negotiations begin. He expressed his dismay that Russia has violated international law for more than three years, recalling in particular the plight of Ukrainian children deported by Russia. He also condemned Belarus' role in Russia's war against Ukraine.
Regarding Georgia, Minister Bettel emphasised the importance of dialogue while stressing that "the European Union is not à la carte: values must be respected." He added that progress from Georgia is necessary before dialogue with the EU can be fully renewed.
Concerning Armenia and Azerbaijan, he welcomed the significant progress made towards peace but also acknowledged that the peace process remains fragile and that the focus now is on consolidating these gains.
On the margins of the ministerial meeting, Minister Bettel held a bilateral meeting with Georgia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maka Botchorishvili.
