News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
Statement on Ukraine election observer mission by leading OSCE observer
Publishing date: 3 July 2019
LUXEMBOURG, 3 July 2019 – Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland), who has been nominated to lead the short-term OSCE observer mission for the 21 July early parliamentary elections in Ukraine, today expressed regret that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will no longer be able to observe these elections following recent developments...
OSCE PA’s Voridis and Chambers address UN Security Council on parliamentary counter-terrorism efforts
Publishing date: 3 July 2019
NEW YORK, 2 July 2019 – In a briefing on the counter-terrorism work of parliamentarians before the United Nations Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Makis Voridis and Lisa Chambers spoke about the role played by the Assembly in this field and ways to further the engagement of parliamentarians in countering terrorism...
OSCE leaders call for utmost restraint in Albania
Publishing date: 28 June 2019
BRATISLAVA/COPENHAGEN/VIENNA, 28 June 2019 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Slovakia’s Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák, OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) George Tsereteli and OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella regret the continuing political tension in Albania and have made the following statement:..
OSCE PA human rights leaders deeply concerned about faltering respect for fundamental freedoms
Publishing date: 13 June 2019
COPENHAGEN, 13 June 2019 – Following mass arrests of peaceful demonstrators in recent days in Moscow, Russia, and several cities in Kazakhstan, the leaders of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee call for full respect of fundamental freedoms of assembly and expression...
Robust oversight key to rule of law, stress OSCE parliamentarians in Tbilisi
Publishing date: 6 June 2019
TBILISI, 6 June 2019 – Addressing a conference focused on parliamentary oversight today, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli (MP, Georgia) called for continued attention to uphold and strengthen OSCE parliaments’ roles in holding governments accountable.
Sustainable development key to security, says economic and environmental committee Chair Nilza de Sena in Vienna
Publishing date: 4 June 2019
VIENNA, 4 June 2019 – Security is inextricably linked with development, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Nilza de Sena (MP, Portugal) said today at the OSCE’s Security Days event in Vienna. Parliamentarians must push for the full implementation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), de Sena said, noting that the PA can play an important part in generating the needed political will.
Human drama for people near contact line in Ukraine intolerable, say OSCE PA humanitarian leaders in Kyiv
Publishing date: 3 June 2019
KYIV, 3 June 2019 – Margareta Kiener Nellen and Kyriakos Hadjiyianni, the Chair and Rapporteur of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee, respectively, today wrapped up a five-day mission to Ukraine, which included visits to the contact line in the east of the country, a centre for internally displaced persons, and medical facilities. Following the visit, which was supported by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM), the PA delegation stressed that renewed conflict resolution efforts, freedom of movement for civilians, and concrete humanitarian measures are urgently needed in Ukraine...