COPENHAGEN, 15 February 2011 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s tenth Winter Meeting, being held 24-25 February in Vienna, will include a special debate on the situation in the Mediterranean region in light of events in Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere. More than 250 parliamentarians from 55 countries are expected to participate in the annual Vienna meeting, including several from the OSCE Mediterranean Partners. Federal President of Austria Heinz

КОПЕНГАГЕН, 15 февраля 2011 г. – С 16 по 18 февраля Кыргызскую Республику посетит делегация Парламентской ассамблеи ОБСЕ во главе с Председателем Ассамблеи Петросом Эфтимиу. Целью визита является укрепление сотрудничества с недавно избранным парламентом страны. В ходе визита запланированы встречи с Президентом Кыргызстана Розой Отунбаевой, Спикером Парламента Ахматбеком Келдибековым, Министром иностранных дел Русланом Казакбаевым и другими

COPENHAGEN, 15 February 2011 – PA Vice-President and Special Co-ordinator of the November 2010 OSCE Election Observation Mission in Azerbaijan Wolfgang Grossruck (Austria) led a post-election visit to Baku on 9-13 February. Meeting with representatives from parliament (Milli Mejlis) and government as well as with political parties and other representatives of civil society and the media, Mr. Grossruck discussed the post-election situation, the

COPENHAGEN, 15 February 2011 — OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Petros Efthymiou will lead a delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic 16-18 February aimed at strengthening co-operation with the country’s new parliament. The delegation (listed below) is scheduled to meet with President Roza Otunbaeva, Speaker Akhmatbek Keldibekov of the Kyrgyz Parliament, Foreign Minister Ruslan Kazakbaev and other high level government officials. President

COPENHAGEN, 9 February 2011 -- President of the OSCE PA Petros Efthymiou made the following statement regarding recent unrest in Egypt: "The ardour for democracy manifested by the people of Egypt provides an opportunity for real changes in the country, in the direction of strengthening democratic institutions and promoting democratic governance and social justice that shall culminate in free and fair elections. "We call for the cessation of

COPENHAGEN, 9 February 2011 – The Portuguese government nominated on 2 February former OSCE PA President Joao Soares to serve as Secretary General of the OSCE. In nominating Soares, Foreign Minister Luis Amado mentioned the importance of the next Secretary General being a high level political appointment, a concept long promoted by the Parliamentary Assembly. “We believe that the role of the future Secretary General, supporting the