In visit to Kyrgyzstan, OSCE PA President Tsereteli welcomes OSCE engagement, calls for continued attention to democratic reforms
BISHKEK, 20 April 2018 – Concluding a working visit to Kyrgyzstan, his first to the country and the Central Asian region as President of the OSCE PA, George Tsereteli (MP, Georgia), commended today Bishkek’s strong engagement with the OSCE and called for sustained efforts to advance security and stability in the region.
In Bishkek, Tsereteli and Secretary General Roberto Montella participated in the annual meeting of the OSCE’s Heads of Field Operations in Central Asia. Both highlighted the OSCE PA’s recent and planned activities in the region and reaffirmed the Assembly’s strong support for OSCE Field Missions equipped with robust mandates.
In his remarks, President Tsereteli underlined the importance of good co-ordination both within the OSCE and with international partners, including the EU and the UN, to successfully tackle Central Asia’s challenges. He also offered the expertise of OSCE parliamentarians to support international efforts.
OSCE PA human rights Chair urges restraint, dialogue in Armenia
COPENHAGEN, 20 April 2018 - On the eighth consecutive day of protests in Yerevan and other cities in Armenia, Ignacio Sanchez Amor (MP, Spain), Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee, today called on all sides to engage in constructive dialogue.
"I welcome the civic engagement of people turning out to exercise their right to freedom of expression through peaceful protest," said Sanchez Amor, the Chair of the OSCE PA's General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions. "This right must be respected by the authorities, and I take note of reports of instances of excessive use of force. At the same time, I remind that the right to peaceful protest does not enable demonstrators to force their way into buildings and disrupt proceedings. I call on all sides to exercise due restraint to ensure that all Armenians can peacefully express their opinions, and call for a prompt return to constructive dialogue. In this context, Freedom of the Press is of paramount importance and journalists should be protected against any form of violence."
OSCE PA’s Sanchez Amor concerned by stripping of immunity of parliamentarians in Poland, calls for reconsideration
COPENHAGEN, 17 April 2018 - Ignacio Sanchez Amor (MP, Spain), Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee, today expressed his concern regarding the state of freedom of expression in Poland, following the stripping of immunity from several opposition parliamentarians last week.
On the evening of 12 April the Polish parliament voted to remove from Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz and Ryszard Petru the immunity granted to all parliamentarians.
“Parliamentary immunity is a critical tool to ensure that Members of Parliament can fully exercise freedom of speech necessary to do their work without concern of intimidation or prosecution. Last week’s decision by the Polish parliament appears tailor-made to silence opposition voices from critical comments, and is of great concern,” said Sanchez Amor.
At OSCE Security Committee, Ad Hoc Committee Chair Voridis outlines PA’s counter-terrorism work and identifies priorities for international community
VIENNA, 16 April 2018 – Makis Voridis, Chair of the OSCE PA’s Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism, spoke today at the Security Committee of the OSCE in Vienna, stressing the need to work together to effectively counter violent extremism, radicalization and terrorism. He provided an overview of the Assembly’s work in this field and underlined the importance of promoting synergy between all relevant bodies of the OSCE and within the broader international community.
“Terrorism constitutes one of the biggest challenges to security, freedom and to all those values that underpin our lives, founded on democracy and on the rule of law,” Voridis said. “Terrorist networks usually operate at a transnational level and are very adaptable to the situation on the ground. To respond to such challenges and to their evolving nature, we are called to ensure inclusion and comprehensive approaches.”
He noted that engagement with parliamentarians is an important step in this regard and stressed that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is ideally placed to promote dialogue and cooperation in this field.