OSCE PA Special Representative Nikolay Kovalev.COPENHAGEN, 28 April 2014 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on Anti-Terrorism, Nikolay Kovalev (MP, Russian Federation), has warned that international co-operation against terrorism is “seriously lagging behind.”

Addressing the OSCE’s Counter-Terrorism Conference today in Interlaken, Switzerland, Kovalev said, “It is impossible to confront the threat of terror in today’s world without international efforts. However, the level and pace of the development of co-operation in the sphere of counter-terrorism are seriously lagging behind the demands of our time and do not entirely reflect the gravity of the global terror threat.”

Kovalev, who is also Head of the Russian Delegation to the OSCE PA, highlighted the persisting divide between East and West as undermining success.

“The continuing rift between East and West -- the ‘crisis of confidence’ between OSCE participating states -- is one of the key reasons why in the sphere of counter-terrorism we have seen so few long-term results,” he said.

The Special Representative identified the prevention of attacks at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi as an example of the international co-operation that OSCE participating States should strive for in combatting terrorism.

He noted that enhanced international co-operation is all the more crucial given the “dynamic transformation of modern terrorism” taking place today,  marked by the threat of cyber-attacks and the increasingly complex financing schemes for terrorists, among other characteristics.

Special Representative Kovalev was appointed by OSCE PA President Ranko Krivokapic in November 2013. His mandate includes facilitating an exchange of views among parliamentarians on anti-terrorism issues; communicating with relevant actors within the OSCE and other international bodies who work on issues related to the fight against terrorism; and reporting to the OSCE PA President on terrorism trends and anti-terror efforts.

The Counter-Terrorism Conference, organized by the 2014 Swiss Chairmanship, explores the role of the OSCE in addressing current terrorist challenges, bringing together representatives of government and civil society, as well as academic experts.