Speaking after a meeting with Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Rau said that the OSCE wanted to create a platform for talks to prevent crises such as that in Ukraine, news outlets reported.
He called for further dialogue to end the standoff, Poland's PAP news agency reported.
"We would like to create an informal platform for open political discussion between OSCE nations, which would allow for the discussion of mechanisms for stopping crises like the present one," Rau told reporters in the Russian capital.
‘Diplomacy is the only solution’
The Polish foreign minister, who is serving as chairman of the OSCE in 2022, said that “dialogue is the best way to solve difficult issues.” He added: “I hope Russia shares this view - diplomacy is the only solution to the present crisis.”
Rau told reporters that for him, the key topic of the meeting was “European security, which is in deep crisis.”
He observed that “the situation around Ukraine remains incredibly tense and threatens a further escalation.”
“The Polish chairmanship of the OSCE is taking all measures to prevent it and reduce the current tensions,” Rau declared.
“In this spirit, we have proposed an initiative of a new dialogue on European security,” Rau told the news conference.
He added: “I have outlined this project to Minister Lavrov; it’s a priority for the Polish chairmanship of the OSCE.”
Russia ready to continue dialogue: Lavrov
Meanwhile, Russia's Lavrov declared that his country would continue its dialogue with the West on security issues and was ready for separate talks on intermediate-range nuclear missiles, the Reuters news agency reported.
He dismissed as "information terrorism" reports that Russia was planning an incursion into Ukraine, according to Reuters.
Lavrov also said that for Moscow, of key significance were talks with the United States and NATO about “long-term legal security guarantees.”
At the same time, he said that the OSCE had “great potential” and it was important to “increase its effectiveness.”
“The chairmanship of the OSCE should be of aid in reaching a compromise,” Lavrov was quoted as saying.
Poland's top diplomat Zbigniew Rau and Russia's Sergei Lavrov meet in Moscow on Tuesday. Photo: EPA/SHAMIL ZHUMATOV
The meeting between Rau and Lavrov came amid reports that Russia was withdrawing some of its troops from the Ukraine border in a possible de-escalation of the standoff.
With the size of the withdrawal unclear, the move drew a cautious response from Ukraine and Britain, but the financial markets rallied, according to Reuters.
First Polish FM to visit Moscow in decade
Rau’s trip to Moscow marked the first time in almost a decade that a Polish foreign minister has visited the Russian capital, according to officials.
While in Moscow on Tuesday, Poland’s top diplomat laid wreaths at the Wall of Grief to honour victims of Soviet persecution and at the Solovetsky Stone dedicated to the memory of political prisoners, the Polish foreign ministry said in a tweet.
He also met with with members of Russian civil society, including Nobel Peace Prize-winning journalist Dmitry Muratov.
Meanwhile in Warsaw, Polish government ministers held a special meeting with President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday to discuss security concerns amid warnings of an impending Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Polish president told reporters after the meeting that his country was preparing for various amid the continuing standoff between the West and Russia over Ukraine.
The standoff over Ukraine
Russia has been massing troops and military hardware around Ukraine for weeks, fueling concerns among Western leaders that an invasion could be imminent.
Moscow has denied any such plans, but has demanded security guarantees from the United States and NATO. These include a ban on the alliance’s eastern expansion and a withdrawal of infrastructure from NATO’s eastern flank, news agencies have reported.
In 2014, Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine and then fomented a separatist conflict in that country's eastern Donbas region, leading to a wave of EU and US sanctions against Moscow and Russian officials.
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Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters