VIENNA, 10 January 2019 – OSCE PA President George Tsereteli (Georgia) and Secretary General Roberto Montella welcomed the priorities outlined by the new OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Slovakia’s Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Miroslav Lajcak, in his address to the OSCE Permanent Council today.

Noting that Lajcak’s agenda of preventing and mitigating conflicts, providing for a safer future and promoting effective multilateralism coincide with the Parliamentary Assembly’s focus on producing tangible results for the more than one billion citizens of the OSCE area, Tsereteli and Montella emphasized that the PA stands ready to work with the Chairmanship on developing common strategies.

“As PA President, I look forward to working with the Chairperson-in-Office on mediating, resolving and preventing conflicts, as well as promoting a safe and secure future and recommitting to effective multilateralism,” Tsereteli said. “Too many people are victims of unresolved conflicts and human rights violations, and we all must work to ensure that the OSCE is empowered with the instruments it needs to improve the situation for all our people. We see positive developments for example in Moldova, and this progress needs to be built upon and leveraged in other areas.”

President Tsereteli highlighted the numerous resolutions adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly. “The PA produces very important recommendations based on our debates which can always serve as useful guidelines for the OSCE,” he said. “We anticipate that the governmental side will take into account these resolutions and incorporate them into the acquis of the OSCE in order to build comprehensive security.”

George Tsereteli, Roberto Montella and Miroslav Lajcak in New York City, 1 February 2018Montella said: “I was pleased to hear the priorities outlined by Minister Lajcak today and his recognition that the tools exist to address our common challenges. One of these tools is the Parliamentary Assembly and the energy that our 323 dedicated parliamentarians bring to this organization. As the most direct link between the OSCE and the ‘end users of the OSCE product’ – the citizens we work for – the Assembly is in a unique position to help advance the worthwhile priorities outlined in Vienna today.”

Montella, OSCE PA Special Representative Amb. Andreas Nothelle and several staff members are participating in the opening of Slovakia’s OSCE Chairmanship in Vienna this week. Montella is representing the Assembly at the Annual Heads of Institutions meeting and senior policy staff are participating in regional working group sessions. Montella spoke today with the new Chairperson-in-Office on key issues in 2019.

Next week, President Tsereteli will address the OSCE Permanent Council and hold a series of bilateral meetings in Vienna. The President also plans to visit Moldova on 21-22 January for discussions in the capital with governmental and parliamentary leaders.