OSCE family photo, 6 December 2012.Stresses changes in election observation, transparency, Mediterranean partnership

DUBLIN, 6 December 2012 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Riccardo Migliori today aimed to to revitalize the world's largest regional security organization, speaking to a gathering of foreign ministers and calling a 15-year election observation agreement no longer valid.

The remarks came at the opening of the 19th OSCE Ministerial Council hosted by the OSCE Irish Chairmanship in Dublin. More than 50 foreign ministers have gathered for the event.

Migliori emphasized the need to strengthen the OSCE's core work, which takes place in the field. "The backbone of the OSCE is the field missions and their programmes," he said. "Our Assembly has consistently called for protecting the budgets of the field missions and to avoid constructing a large bureaucracy."

The OSCE currently has field missions in 15 OSCE participating States working on such issues as border management, police work, institution building and resolving post-conflict disputes.

Referring to the 1997 Co-operation Agreement that was to direct how the OSCE's human rights office works with the Parliamentary Assembly to represent the OSCE in election observation missions, Migliori said: "The Parliamentary Assembly has adhered to this agreement in letter and spirit for fifteen years. Unfortunately, the ODIHR has not. Our opinion, therefore, is that this agreement is no longer valid and is no longer operative."

Fresh from a visit to Turkey and a refugee camp on the Syrian-Turkey border, Migliori also called for closer ties with Mediterranean Partners. "This type of engagement is critical to raising the visibility of the OSCE in a region where we are badly needed and in places where stability today is vital to our whole region's security tomorrow."