50th anniversary of Helsinki Final Act
On 1 August 1975 - in the middle of the Cold War - 35 states from both the West and the Eastern Bloc signed the CSCE Final Act in Helsinki, better known as the Helsinki Accords, in which they pledged among other things to respect the inviolability of borders and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. On the occasion of the official ceremony marking the 50th anniversary in Helsinki, commentators ask: does the phrase "from Vancouver to Vladivostok" still mean something?
A superfluous ceremony
Although a new edition of the Helsinki Final Act would be a good thing this is virtually impossible at the moment, Lapin Kansa laments:
“Today's Russia couldn't care less about the lofty principles such as the inviolability of Europe's borders and respect for human rights agreed at the CSCE conference in 1975, so one may well wonder why Russian representatives were among the guests. In fact, it's surprising that the anniversary was marked at all. ... There is undoubtedly a need for a peace conference similar to that of 1975. But as long as Russia continues its illegal war of aggression in Ukraine and Putin remains in power, it won't be possible to organise such a conference again.”
New edition only possible after Russia's victory
The Kremlin-affiliated news agency Ria Novosti puts in:
“Fifty years ago the Helsinki Final Act was the definitive confirmation of the outcome of the Second World War, from which the Russia of those days emerged victorious and as the state with which everyone had to reach an agreement on how to coexist. The next such agreements can only be concluded and implemented after another Russian victory: a victory which cannot be played down, invalidated or called into question. Russia will have to be recognised as an equal, a force capable of destroying its enemy and with whom rules must be agreed on how to coexist in the future.”
Powerless but not pointless
Even if the effectiveness of the OSCE, which emerged from the Helsinki Accord, is limited, it is not obsolete, says The Irish Times:
“The world's largest regional security organisation, the only one of which Ukraine, the US and Russia are members, continues to operate, now with 57 participating states. Its vision of a peaceful, cooperative Europe whose governments respect the international rule of law and protect human rights has not survived the test of time. But, in the spirit of the original Helsinki accord, it surely remains a prize worth striving to achieve.”