OSCE PA President Ilkka Kanerva addresses the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States Council on 19 May 2016. (Photo courtesy of the IPA CIS)ST. PETERSBURG, 20 May 2016 – Addressing the plenary session of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS) in St. Petersburg today, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) stressed the importance of building bridges between nations and between international inter-parliamentary organizations, welcoming the focus of the IPA CIS session on economic and environmental challenges.

“There can be no doubt that to achieve global prosperity and security all countries should co-operate on issues of common ground. Co-operation on issues such as economics and the environment should bring us together in spite of other issues that might divide us,” he said.

Kanerva pointed out, however, that international efforts to strengthen ties are undermined when fundamental principles – including respect for territorial integrity – are violated. In this regard, he urged leaders to contribute to peace and stability in Ukraine, namely by using influence over separatists in the Donbass to stop the ongoing violations of the ceasefire there.

“In eastern Ukraine, ceasefire violations have reached their highest levels in months, and civilians are tragically bearing the brunt of much of this violence,” Kanerva said. “I call on the leaders of our countries to use our influence over the illegal separatists in the Donbass to put a halt to this violence.”

The President also spoke about the ceasefire violations in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, saying that “the human toll of continued fighting has become intolerable.” He invited colleagues from the IPA CIS to join the Parliamentary Assembly in promoting a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the context of the OSCE Minsk Group.

On Thursday, Kanerva spoke at the meeting of the IPA CIS Council, focusing on the state of co-operation between inter-parliamentary assemblies such as the IPA CIS and the OSCE PA. “In this environment, inter-parliamentary dialogue is more necessary than ever to find solutions that truly deliver for our people,” he said. “Working effectively, our organizations can help foster a mutually beneficial exchange of expertise on how best to deal with global challenges.”

He added: “Greater co-operation within and between our organizations is vital, and indeed there are many topics on which closer co-operation is possible – anti-terrorism and radicalization; gender issues; migration; cyber-security and economic and environmental issues.”

The OSCE PA President has also touched on some of these themes in a number of bilateral meetings he has held in St. Petersburg, including with the Chairperson of Russia’s Federation Council and the IPA CIS Council Valentina Matvienko; Russian State Duma Chairperson and Head of the Russian Delegation to the OSCE PA, Sergey Naryshkin; the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Saber Chowdhury; the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Pedro Agramunt; and the Speaker of the Majilis of Kazakhstan, Baktykozha Izmukhambetov.

In Kanerva’s meeting with Naryshkin, the two sides discussed the ongoing preparations for the OSCE PA’s 25th Annual Session to be held in Tbilisi, Georgia, on 1-5 July, as well as the PA’s efforts to help address the crisis in and around Ukraine.

Accompanying President Kanerva in St. Petersburg is OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella, who today is meeting with Secretary General of the IPA CIS Council Alexey Sergeev, as well as counterparts from PACE and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation.

For President Kanerva’s full speech to the IPA CIS Council on 19 May, please click here. (PDF)
For President Kanerva’s full speech to the IPA CIS Plenary Session on 20 May, please click here. (PDF)
Photos of President Kanerva’s activities in St. Petersburg are available on Flickr.