TIRANA, Albania, 4 October 2012 – President Riccardo Migliori (MP, Italy) released the following statement today regarding violence between Syria and Turkey: "I strongly condemn the killings of Turkish civilians – lives that Syria's official apology can never bring back. All sides should end their shootings and shellings and recognize that only genuine dialogue can bring about peace in Syria and the wider region. The situation in Syria demands

32 countries now included in sOcialSCapE report COPENHAGEN, 4 October 2012 – From the first political satire TV show in Egypt to Iceland's crowd-sourced constitution, an updated version of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's sOcialSCapE report released today includes 18 new case studies highlighting innovations in civic participation. Featuring interactive parliamentary websites in Russia and Sweden and new open data platforms in Greek and the

COPENHAGEN, 3 October 2012 – Around 140 parliamentary representatives from more than 40 OSCE countries and Mediterranean Partner States will participate in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Fall Meetings, in Tirana, Albania, on 5-7 October. Hosted by the Albanian Parliament, the meetings will include sessions on protecting multicultural societies, the financial crisis, and the media's role in promoting good governance. Featured speakers will

Reuters 2 October 2012 International monitors said on Tuesday that despite some instances of intimidation in Georgia's parliamentary election, voters had freely expressed their will and urged rival political forces to work together following the poll. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili conceded on Tuesday that his party had lost the election to a coalition led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, paving the way for a peaceful transfer of

Associated Press 2 October 2012 TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili on Tuesday conceded defeat in his country's parliamentary election, defying the opposition's expectations that he would cling to power at all costs and preserving his legacy as a pro-Western leader who brought democracy to the former Soviet republic. Saakashvili said the opposition Georgian Dream coalition led by billionaire businessman and

Trend 2 October 2012 Georgia's parliamentary elections marked an important step in consolidating the conduct of democratic elections, although certain key issues remain to be addressed, concluded the international election observers in a statement released on Tuesday, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) reported. "The elections were competitive, with active citizen participation through the campaign, but the campaign