Participants at London seminar on the Western Balkans, 28 June 2018LONDON, 28 June 2018 – To achieve their goals and objectives, the countries of South East Europe must focus on their common interests, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli (Georgia) said at a meeting of the European Leadership Network at the House of Lords in London today.

The meeting was focused on the Western Balkans and featured the participation of a number of OSCE PA members, including Fatmir Mediu (Albania), Peter Bowness (United Kingdom), and Mark Pritchard (United Kingdom), as well as PA Secretary General Roberto Montella.

In his remarks at a roundtable focused on the region’s security and economic conditions, President Tsereteli stressed the importance of continuing reform efforts and strengthening democratic institutions. He noted that he visited Tirana at the end of May to reaffirm the region’s significance for the OSCE and its determination to pursue our engagement with Albania and the rest of South East Europe.

“We must continue our efforts to ensure a relevant European enlargement by providing expertise and help to the Western Balkans, so they reach the necessary standards required to be part of the European Union,” Tsereteli said. “What is needed is strong political leadership willing to set aside differences and the divisions of the past in order to advance the common aspirations of the people of this region. I am confident that this leadership exists.”

The President also described the OSCE PA’s engagement, including recent activities such as the visit in early June to Bosnia and Herzegovina by members of the OSCE PA Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism. Members of the OSCE PA Ad Hoc Committee on Migration were in Serbia from 10 to 12 June, he said, to learn more about how Serbia welcomes migrants and refugees, as well as the resources deployed to answer the needs of the unaccompanied minors.

Secretary General Montella said: “The fight in South East Europe is not between ethnic groups or nations, but between a very well organized and multiethnic crime and corruption network and those who support the rule of law.”

He noted that the OSCE PA strongly supports every OSCE mission in South East Europe, which have performed invaluable work in advancing the region’s democratic aspirations.

The OSCE PA has been particularly engaged in the region through election observation, including in Albania last June, as well as the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Montenegro in 2016. The PA also plans to observe elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina this autumn, the Secretary General said.

The topic of South East Europe will also be discussed at the OSCE PA’s 27th Annual Session, taking place in Berlin on 7-11 July.