OSCE PA Vice-President Emin Onen speaks alongside fellow parliamentarians during the debate on 29 June. BAKU, 29 June 2014 – The rising tide of extremism, radicalism and xenophobia and the challenge it presents to the OSCE area was the topic of a special debate today at the 23rd OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Annual Session in Baku. Nearly 300 parliamentarians from more than 50 OSCE participating States were present to engage in brainstorming and

Russian Duma Chair Sergey Naryshkin addresses the opening plenary of the 23rd OSCE PA Annual Session, 28 June. BAKU, 28 June 2014 – Russian State Duma Chair Sergey Naryshkin and Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada Deputy Chair Ruslan Koshulynskyi addressed the opening plenary of the 23rd OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Annual Session in Baku today, offering contrasting views on the crisis in Ukraine but pledging support for a diplomatic resolution. Speaking

Left to right: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, a view of the opening plenary, Swiss President and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Didier Burkhalter. BAKU, 28 June 2014 – The 23rd OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Annual Session has begun in Baku, with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Swiss President and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Didier Burkhalter addressing nearly 300 parliamentarians from more than 50 nations. Their remarks set the stage for

BAKU, 27 June 2014 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ranko Krivokapic today welcomed the release of four Donetsk-based monitors from the OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine after they had spent 32 days in captivity. “I was happy and relieved to hear that one of the OSCE’s teams of monitors was released in eastern Ukraine. I commend the Swiss Chairmanship-in-Office of the OSCE and the participating States involved for their

BAKU, 26 June 2014 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s most important annual gathering begins on Saturday, 28 June in Baku with addresses by senior governmental and parliamentary leaders at the center of some of the international community’s most pressing security issues. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev , Swiss President and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Didier Burkhalter , Russian State Duma Chair Sergey Naryshkin and Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada

OSCE PA Vice-President Doris Barnett. COPENHAGEN, 24 June 2014 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vice-President Doris Barnett (MP, Germany) today welcomed the announcement by separatists in eastern Ukraine that they will observe a temporary ceasefire proposed by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. “A ceasefire in eastern Ukraine is a welcome step that hopefully gives diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis some room to work,” said Barnett. “I