COPENHAGEN, 1 April 2016 – On the eve of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) congratulated the thousands of parliamentarians involved in the OSCE PA for their immense contributions to the OSCE process and people since 1991.

On 2 and 3 April 1991 leading parliamentarians from the then-CSCE met in Madrid on the initiative of the Spanish Parliament to establish a parliamentary assembly in order to promote measures for further co-operation and security in Europe and to assess the implementation of the objectives of the organization as a whole. In the 1990 Charter of Paris for a New Europe, Heads of CSCE States had called for greater parliamentary involvement in the CSCE.

“A quarter century ago, parliamentarians seized the baton of ensuring that open dialogue and democratic processes will remain an integral part of the OSCE. Today, at a time of renewed tension, with security agendas and rhetoric often replacing serious discussions between our governments, inter-parliamentary dialogue is more necessary than ever to find solutions that truly deliver for our people,” said President Kanerva.

As the Assembly’s membership has grown from 245 parliamentarians to 323, so has the number and breadth of Assembly activities. President Kanerva particularly applauded the work of OSCE parliamentarians in observing elections in more than 30 countries.

“Injecting real-life challenges, faced by the constituents that we represent, into OSCE work will always be our primary focus. The ideas and dynamism that parliamentarians bring to the table have contributed immensely to the Organization’s ability to produce real results for the OSCE’s population. In particular, parliamentarians, who have fought elections themselves, have brought credibility and expertise to OSCE election observation since leading the first monitoring mission of the Organization to the 1993 Russian parliamentary vote,” Kanerva continued.

In addition to election observation, OSCE parliamentarians have been vocal in promoting the work of OSCE field missions, regularly visiting and lending their support to OSCE work in the field. In addition, the Assembly has long advocated structural reform of the OSCE itself, arguing that more open dialogue between governments would increase relevance and help to make the Organization more effective.

“Transparency breeds confidence, and I am proud that the Parliamentary Assembly has led such open and inclusive dialogue on the most challenging issues for 25 years. Whether discussing the Iraq war in 2003 or the more recent crisis in and around Ukraine and on migration, OSCE parliamentarians have addressed serious issues head-on, greatly contributing to understanding of the challenges facing all our countries,” said the President.

From 1-5 July this year OSCE parliamentarians will meet for its 25th Annual Session in Tbilisi, Georgia, under the theme ‘25 Years of Parliamentary Co-operation: Building Trust Through Dialogue’.