George Tsereteli addresses the Informal Ministerial meeting in the High Tatras, 9 July 2019STRBSKE PLESO, 9 July 2019 – Coming from Luxembourg, where nearly 300 OSCE parliamentarians had just met for the 28th Annual Session, OSCE PA President George Tsereteli (Georgia) and Secretary General Roberto Montella were among the high-level participants of the OSCE Informal Ministerial meeting convened today by Slovak Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Miroslav Lajcak in the High Tatras Mountains of Slovakia.

The meeting, under the theme of “From past action to future prevention: the OSCE’s niche in fostering stability in Europe and beyond,” aims to facilitate genuine political dialogue and spur a recommitment to the values and the role of the OSCE in the region.

The Parliamentary Assembly, which yesterday adopted the Luxembourg Declaration, stands ready to provide key input to the work of the organization in all fields of security, leveraging the distinct contributions and added value of parliamentarians, said President Tsereteli in his remarks.

He stressed that the Luxembourg Declaration covers a wide range of topics that were discussed over several days and reflected in resolutions adopted, noting that the issues are concerns that citizens of OSCE countries have articulated, and it is their voices expressed the Parliamentary Assembly. The PA, he said, is concentrated on people and their suffering, especially in relation to conflicts. The President specifically mentioned the conflicts in Georgia and Ukraine and stressed that in order to help people more relevant reactions are needed.

“I sometimes feel we are acting like doctors who in the face of a patient have the diagnosis, know about the treatment, but cannot agree on when to start the therapy while the patient is getting weaker and weaker,” President Tsereteli said. “We have to realize that without quick and effective action for the benefit of the people who are suffering from conflicts, human rights violations or else we fail to do what the OSCE has been created for. It has the toolbox, the PA is an integral part of it, and all it takes is the determination of every one of us to use it for the sake of improving the security of our citizens.”

On the margins, President Tsereteli and Secretary General Montella held bilateral exchanges with a number of foreign ministers, including those from Sweden, Spain, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Albania, and Armenia.

Secretary General Montella expressed gratitude to CiO Lajcak for organizing the informal gathering and stressed the key importance of holding frank talks outside the usual formats. He noted that it is essential to discuss strategic and long-term approaches to respond to the many challenges the OSCE is facing, overcoming the political stalemate that too often jeopardizes its action and focusing instead on the people – the end users of the OSCE product.

The Informal Ministerial gathering was also aimed at setting the scene for the 2019 Ministerial Council which will take place in Bratislava in December.