The Republic of Cyprus’ candidacy for the OSCE Chairmanship in 2027 remains on the table despite being blocked by a specific member state, Foreign Affairs Minister Constantinos Kombos said on Thursday, on the sidelines of the General Debate at the OSCE Ministerial Meeting in Vienna.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kombos thanked the Finnish Chairmanship for its work in 2025 and welcomed Switzerland, which will assume the Chairmanship in 2026. He referred to the challenges facing the Organisation and the need for effective management in line with the Helsinki Principles adopted 50 years ago.
Kombos reaffirmed Cyprus’ candidacy for the 2027 Chairmanship, placing it before the OSCE participating states as a solution to the absence of a decision on the Presidencies from 2026 onwards.
In a post on X, he said that a specific OSCE member state has blocked Cyprus’ candidacy, noting that a positive outcome “would have been achieved last night” but has not yet materialised. He added that there is “a lot of frustration” about the development, stressing that the candidacy remains open and on the table, with more intense consultations expected.
My statement ahead of the @OSCE 32nd Ministerial Council.#OSCEMC2025@CyprusinAustria pic.twitter.com/FDDZ05VGdm
— Constantinos Kombos (@ckombos) December 4, 2025
On the sidelines of the Ministerial Meeting, Kombos held separate meetings with the EU High Representative for External Relations and with the Foreign Ministers of Finland, Ukraine, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Norway, Andorra, Serbia, Azerbaijan, as well as the UK Minister for Europe. He also participated as a speaker at a side event on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in the OSCE region.