Delegates voting at the OSCE PA Annual Session, 8 July 2015. (courtesy of Hanne Salonen / Parliament of Finland) HELSINKI, 8 July 2015 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, meeting in Helsinki this week at its 2015 Annual Session , has approved a resolution condemning Russia’s actions in and around Ukraine in the context of the ongoing crisis. Parliamentarians from three continents voted by a margin of 96 in favor to 7 against with 32 abstentions

Left to right: Committee Rapporteurs Gordana Comic, Margareta Cederfelt and Marietta Tidei (courtesy of Hanne Salonen / Parliament of Finland) HELSINKI, 7 July 2015 – Parliamentary debate on political affairs, economic and environmental issues and human rights concerns is well under way at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Annual Session in Helsinki. Nearly 300 parliamentarians from more than 50 OSCE participating States have divided into

HELSINKI, 6 July 2015 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s International Secretariat has released the Final Report of its Helsinki +40 Project , presenting concrete proposals for reforming the OSCE to ensure its relevance and efficiency in the years ahead. The report was presented today to parliamentarians from three continents attending the OSCE PA’s 2015 Annual Session, during a special event to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the OSCE’s

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Timo Soini addresses the opening plenary of the OSCE PA Annual Session, 6 July 2015. (courtesy of Hanne Salonen/Parliament of Finland) HELSINKI, 6 July 2015 – Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini and OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) recalled the OSCE’s past, assessed the OSCE’s present, and looked to the OSCE’s future in keynote addresses

OSCE parliamentarian Nikolay Kovalev of Russia addresses the Standing Committee, Helsinki, 5 July 2015. (photo courtesy of Hanne Salonen/Parliament of Finland) HELSINKI, 5 July 2015 – The Heads of National Delegations to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly today discussed the decision of the government of Finland to enforce European Union visa bans against several Russian parliamentarians who had registered to participate in the PA’s Annual Session

OSCE PA Secretary General-Elect Roberto Montella (left) addresses parliamentarians alongside current Secretary General Spencer Oliver (center) and President Ilkka Kanerva, Helsinki, 5 July 2015. (photo courtesy of Hanne Salonen/Parliament of Finland) HELSINKI, 5 July 2015 – Roberto Montella of Italy has been elected the next Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly with a term starting on 1 January 2016. The OSCE PA Standing