General Committee Rapporteurs Margareta Cederfelt, Marietta Tidei and Kyriakos Kyriakou-Hadjiyianni presenting reports at OSCE PA Annual Session in Minsk, 6 July 2017 MINSK, 6 July 2017 – More than 260 parliamentarians from 55 OSCE countries and several Partners for Co-operation began debates today on political and security affairs, economic and environmental issues, and human rights and humanitarian concerns at the OSCE Parliamentary

President Aleksandr Lukashenko addressing opening inaugural session, Minsk, 5 July 2017 MINSK, 5 July 2017 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 2017 Annual Session began today in Minsk with calls for building trust in the OSCE area through constructive dialogue and mutual co-operation. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko,

Belarusian and OSCE PA flags flying outside of the President Hotel in Minsk, site of the 26th Annual Session. MINSK, 3 July 2017 – Held under the theme “Enhancing mutual trust and co-operation for peace and prosperity in the OSCE region,” the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 2017 Annual Session will begin Wednesday with keynote speeches by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly

Kristian Vigenin VIENNA, 3 July 2017 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Special Representative for the South Caucasus Kristian Vigenin (MP, Bulgaria) was in Vienna today for a series of meetings related to developments in the South Caucasus, including on negotiation efforts related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In all his meetings, Vigenin stressed the importance of continued efforts through agreed discussion formats, while noting the potential

Head of OSCE PA Delegation Georgios Varemenos and Special Coordinator Guglielmo Picchi at Ulaanbaatar press conference, 27 June 2017 ULAANBAATAR, 27 June 2017 – The 26 June 2017 presidential election in Mongolia was competitive and well-organized, featuring a short yet fierce campaign; the election administration largely enjoyed public confidence and the freedoms of assembly and expression were generally respected. However, protracted

Special Coordinator Roberto Battelli, seated next to Head of OSCE PA Delegation Marietta Tidei, delivers the post-election statement in Tirana, 26 June 2017 TIRANA, 26 June 2017 – The 25 June parliamentary elections in Albania took place following a political agreement between the leaders of the Socialist Party (SP) and Democratic Party (DP) that secured the participation of the opposition. Electoral contestants were able to campaign freely and