OSCE PA President Petros Efthymiou is greeted by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych (Photo by Mykhailo Markiv)KYIV, Ukraine, 15 September 2011 OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Petros Efthymiou today expressed optimism about Ukraine serving as Chair-in-Office of the world's largest regional security organization in 2013.

President Efthymiou met today with President Viktor Yanukovych, capping off two days of meetings in Kyiv aimed at strengthening parliamentary relationships and supporting democratic institutions in Ukraine.

President Efthymiou's official visit at the invitation of the Ukrainian Parliament included meetings with Speaker of Parliament Volodymyr Lytvyn, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, Deputy Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin, and with heads of various parties in the parliament, including the delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

"The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly can be a partner for progress, our members are always ready to engage with one another he said. We all benefit from sharing experiences from our own parliaments. Beyond this visit, I look forward to working closely with authorities and political parties in Ukraine to further strengthen Ukraine's democratic structures.

During his meetings and public appearances President Efthymiou mentioned the current situation involving opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko and stressed his statement of 11 August where he called for the Ukrainian authorities to exercise the fullest degree of transparency in this prosecution.