Bucharest, 18 April 2024 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pia Kauma (Finland), accompanied by Deputy Secretary General Gustavo Pallares, has been in Bucharest on a preparatory visit for the 31st Annual Session, scheduled to convene from 29 June to 3 July 2024 at the Parliament of Romania.

Vice-President of the Senate Sorin-Mihai Cîmpeanu, OSCE PA President Pia Kauma, Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies Dan Barna, Bucharest, 18 April 2024Following a series of meetings, President Kauma signed a Memorandum of Understanding for hosting the Annual Session with Dan Barna, Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies and Head of the Romanian Delegation to the OSCE PA, and Sorin-Mihai Cîmpeanu, Vice-President of the Senate. The signing ceremony was also attended by Silvia Mihalcea, Secretary General of the Chamber of Deputies, and Mario-Ovidiu Oprea, Secretary General of the Senate, as well as Stelian Stoian, Permanent Representative of Romania to the International Organizations in Vienna.

The theme of the Annual Session will be “The Role of the OSCE in the current Security Architecture: a Parliamentary Perspective.”

"We are immensely grateful to the Parliament of Romania for their generous offer to host the 2024 Annual Session,” said President Kauma. “We deeply appreciate the financial and administrative efforts invested to ensure the success of this event and commend the Parliament of Romania for its commitment to advancing dialogue and co-operation within the OSCE framework.”

During her visit, President Kauma engaged in key discussions with the Delegation of Romania to the OSCE PA and State Secretary for Strategic Affairs Ana Tinca.

During discussions, Kauma and Pallares expressed the OSCE PA's gratitude for Romania's consistent support for the OSCE and the active engagement of the Delegation in all activities of the OSCE PA. The sides explored ideas for the general programme of the Annual Session, with a focus on priority issues facing the OSCE region, particularly the Russian Federation’s ongoing war against Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, and the need for strengthening the OSCE's role in maintaining peace and security across the region during these demanding times.

For more information on the 31st Annual Session, please click here.