IFSH Takes Part in OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Event

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is a forum for exchange among parliamentarians of the OSCE participating States. The Assembly also sends election observers to participating States. Since February 2022, when Russia began its attack on the whole of Ukraine, the Parliamentary Assembly has repeatedly condemned Russia for violating OSCE principles. 

From 19 to 20 April 2024, members of the Parliamentary Assembly met in Berlin. In preparation for the Parliamentary Assembly’s Annual Session in Bucharest, Romania, in July 2024, the aim of the meeting was to discuss opportunities for regional cooperation, particularly in the South Caucasus and the Baltics, against the backdrop of Russian aggression.
 
At the meeting, Dr habil. Cornelius Friesendorf, Head of the Centre for OSCE Research (CORE), highlighted that regional cooperation in the OSCE without or against Russia represents a paradigm shift for the organization. After all, cooperation in the OSCE – unlike in the EU and NATO – had largely been inclusive until February 2022. Nevertheless, through the cooperation of several participating States without Russia, the Parliamentary Assembly could contribute to security even in the Baltic region, which is important for Russia. This is particularly the case for issues that are not dominated by other international organizations and where the OSCE has expertise, such as the protection of national minorities.  

The meeting took place as part of the Leinsweiler Seminar series, supported by the German Federal Foreign Office and organized by the Parliamentary Assembly and the German Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly. The approximately 50 participants represented the parliaments of various OSCE participating States, including Ukraine and Germany. Also taking part in the meeting were OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid (Germany), Parliamentary Assembly President Pia Kauma (Finland), Representative of the Maltese OSCE Chairpersonship Michael Cluett, and Parliamentary Assembly Secretary General Roberto Montella (Italy).