He made the statement in an article he contributed to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, timed to coincide with the OSCE ministerial council meeting in Vienna.

"The attack on the consensus rule - the key OSCE principle that guarantees the rights of all participating states - has been ongoing for years," the minister said. "The Finnish Chairmanship-in-Office has also ‘excelled’ in this unseemly endeavour. Those who undermine consensus should understand that without it, the OSCE will lose its reason for existence," TASS reported.

In September, Lavrov discussed with OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu the prospects for resolving the crisis facing the organization, "based on the consensus rule, which is fundamental for the OSCE."

They then considered "the current state of affairs in the organization, in a deep crisis because of attempts by some countries to subordinate its work exclusively to the Ukrainian plot and the Russophobic agenda.".