OSCE PA President Ilkka Kanerva (second on left) makes a point during his meeting with State Duma Chairperson Sergey Naryshkin (second on right) on 5 September. OSCE PA Secretary General Spencer Oliver (first on left) looks on.
MOSCOW, 5 September 2014 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) met with Russian State Duma Chairperson and Head of the Russian Delegation to the OSCE PA Sergey Naryshkin at the conclusion of his visit to Moscow today.

The President emphasized the need for meaningful action aimed at demilitarizing and de-escalating the crisis in Ukraine as a basis for a lasting diplomatic solution. He also expressed particular concern about the rapidly deteriorating security situation in and around the city of Mariupol, Ukraine in recent days.

OSCE PA Secretary General Spencer Oliver participated in the meeting, during which the sides also discussed the PA's continuing work towards convening an Interparliamentary Liaison Group on Ukraine.

"In all of my meetings in Moscow this week, I have underscored that Russia's stated commitment to diplomacy and peace in Ukraine requires a full accounting of its impact on the crisis as well as constructive action on the ground. I have high hopes that the PA Liaison Group we are working to build will help complement the other OSCE and international initiatives aimed at de-escalation," Kanerva said.

The Liaison Group, an initiative first proposed by Chairperson Naryshkin and adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly as part its 2014 Baku Declaration, aims to bring together members of the Russian and Ukrainian Delegations to the OSCE PA, as well as a number of OSCE parliamentarians from other participating States, to promote dialogue and de-escalation of the conflict.

President Kanerva is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada Chairman Oleksandr Turchynov for discussions on the crisis and the modalities of the Liaison Group on the sidelines of European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments, hosted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Oslo on 11-12 September.

President Kanerva and Secretary General Oliver met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Federation Council Chairperson Valentina Matvienko on 4 September. (See here.)

Other topics addressed during the meetings include the humanitarian situation in Ukraine; the challenge that the crisis presents to the OSCE and its core principles; the OSCE PA's plans to observe Ukraine's parliamentary elections on 26 October; and the OSCE PA's upcoming Helsinki +40 Project, a series of seminars aimed at encouraging reform of the OSCE.

For more on the OSCE PA's work on Ukraine, click here.