Pia Kauma addresses the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament on 28 September 2023.DUBLIN, 28 September 2023 – Speaking today at the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pia Kauma (Finland) focused on the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the role of national parliaments in Ukraine’s reconstruction. Addressing more than 60 Speakers and Deputy Speakers and some 400 delegates, Kauma emphasized the need to support Ukraine for as long as it takes and to increase international co-ordination in order to maximize efficiency, while avoiding waste and duplication of efforts.

In this regard, she underlined the crucial role of parliaments and multilateral organizations, stressing that all countries – big and small – are playing their part by hosting war refugees and supplying financial and security assistance. “We are stepping up political support in the international arena to defend our common values,” she said, “and our determination is unwavering.”

She added however that the challenges are immense and the international community has much work to do in promoting peace, reconstruction, reparations, and justice. “All our parliaments must make full use of our existing instruments to share information, create political connections, and sustain support for Ukraine,” Kauma said.

Toward this end, the OSCE PA established last July a Parliamentary Support Team for Ukraine to be more responsive to the needs of colleagues in Kyiv and step up efforts, President Kauma informed the Speakers. “This new tool can help us engage with the Working Groups which have been established to support President Zelenskiy’s ten-point Peace Formula,” she said.

While in Dublin, President Kauma, joined by OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella and Deputy Secretary General Gustavo Pallares, held a number of bilateral meetings, including with the Speakers of Parliament from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. The topics of discussion included OSCE PA work related to Ukraine, the upcoming OSCE PA Autumn Meeting in Yerevan and the current situation in Karabakh.

For President Kauma’s full remarks at the Conference of Presidents of Parliament, please click here.

Photos of the event are available at the Oireachtas’s Flickr page.