Special Co-ordinator Kent Harstedt (Sweden) and head of the OSCE PA delegation Ivana Dobesova (Czech Republic) speak with local observers, Minsk, 11 September 2016 MINSK, 12 September 2016 – The 11 September parliamentary elections were efficiently organized and there were visible efforts to address some long-standing issues, but a number of systemic shortcomings remain, the international observers concluded in a preliminary statement released

PA delegation visits the CARA di Mineo Reception Center for Asylum Seekers, Catania, 8 Sept. 2016 POZZALLO, Italy, 9 September 2016 – In the second in a series of visits to migration hotspots across Europe, a senior delegation of OSCE parliamentarians today wrapped up a visit to Sicily, where they witnessed first-hand the challenges faced by refugees, migrants, aid workers and authorities related to the ongoing migration crisis impacting the

Ilkka Kanerva speaking at the OSCE PA's Annual Session in Tbilisi, 1 July 2016. COPENHAGEN, 9 September 2016 – To continue developing the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s potential in addressing aspects of the conflict cycle, including early warning, prevention and dialogue facilitation, PA President Christine Muttonen (MP, Austria) has appointed President Emeritus Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) as the Assembly’s first Special Representative on

POZZALLO and CATANIA, 8 September 2016 – In the second in a series of visits to migration hotspots across Europe, a high-level delegation of OSCE parliamentarians will be in Sicily this week to see first-hand the challenges faced by refugees, migrants, aid workers and authorities related to the ongoing migration crisis impacting Europe. Members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on Migration will meet with officials from the

Christine Muttonen (front row, right) poses for a family photo at the informal OSCE meeting of Foreign Ministers in Potsdam on 1 September 2016. POTSDAM, 1 September 2016 – Speaking today at an informal meeting of OSCE Foreign Ministers in Potsdam, Germany, Parliamentary Assembly President Christine Muttonen (MP, Austria) urged intensified efforts at diplomacy and confidence-building, stressing that governments should make full use of the

Kent Harstedt (right) meets with Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk, 30 August 2016. COPENHAGEN, 31 August 2016 – OSCE PA Vice-President Kent Harstedt (MP, Sweden), who is serving as Special Co-ordinator to lead the OSCE’s short-term observer mission for the 11 September parliamentary elections in Belarus, continued his pre-electoral work this week by meeting with President Alexander Lukashenko, Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the