SKOPJE, 30 September 2016 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 2016 Autumn Meeting, bringing together some 170 parliamentarians from across the OSCE’s 57 participating States, opened today in Skopje with addresses by OSCE PA President Christine Muttonen and host officials.

President Muttonen offered remarks stressing the parliamentary conference’s theme of “Strengthening Confidence-Building Measures and Good Governance in the OSCE Region,” and the role of parliamentarians in fostering co-operation to address ongoing and emerging crises in the OSCE area. 

“We must engage with each other and search for common ground,” she said. “We must widen our perspective and see the world not only from our national point of view but also through the eyes of our neighbors, partners and even opponents. This is how we build confidence and ultimately replace the threat of conflict with long-term stability. This is the only way to effectively address issues such as radicalization, terrorism, the challenge of migration and refugees, or even climate change.” 

Muttonen also spoke about the progress seen in South East Europe, noting the impact that the OSCE has made in the region and the potential for advancement when commitment is shown to meeting international obligations.

In his opening address to parliamentarians, Speaker Trajko Veljanoski remarked on the 25 years of his country’s independence, noting the importance of the OSCE’s work in the region. The engagement of the OSCE and its Parliamentary Assembly, he said, “confirm the importance of parliamentary diplomacy in preservation of peace, stability and co-operation among the 57 participating States.”

He further stressed his country’s commitment to OSCE values, noting in particular the impact of the refugee and migrant crisis. “We have to be open and say that this migrant crisis opens many issues and dilemmas in aspects of economy, culture, demographics and security, both for the states which refugees transit through, as well as for the states that are the final destination for these people,” he said.

The head of the host country’s delegation to the OSCE PA, Renata Deskoska, noted that despite an ongoing political, legal and institutional crisis, the parliament’s decision to host the Autumn Meeting should motivate the country to uphold its democratic commitments.

“I would like to stress that the concern for regional security should not be to the detriment of the concern for the quality of democracy and the respect for human rights,” Deskoska said. “We must admit that democratic institutions in part of the OSCE region are weakened. An optimistic conclusion would be that democracy is in stagnation. It would be more realistic to say that democracy is declining. The OSCE PA should openly and courageously discuss the challenges we face today.”

Earlier today, a Mediterranean Forum addressed the promotion of security and co-operation in the Mediterranean. The meeting was opened by OSCE PA Special Representative on Mediterranean Affairs Michel Voisin (MP, France), and included presentations by Ambassador Clemens Koja, the Chairman of the OSCE Contact Group with the Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation, by Antonijo Miloshoski, the vice-president and chair of the host parliament’s foreign policy committee, and by Malin Larsson-Grave from the European Asylum Support Office. Parliamentarians from more than a dozen countries offered comments and addressed questions on the ongoing refugee and migrant crisis, conflicts in the Mediterranean region, and the threat of violent extremism.

The Autumn Meeting continued today with a session on “Good governance as a basis for fostering economic development in the OSCE region.” On Saturday, parliamentarians will discuss “Developing democratic institutions and human rights in South East Europe: the role of the OSCE” with heads and representatives of OSCE field operations in the region. The final session on Sunday will debate “Improving human rights based governance of international migration.”

Speeches, video, photos and more from the Autumn Meeting are available on: http://www.oscepa.org/meetings/autumn-meetings/2016-skopje