TIRANA, 4 February 2020 – Speaking today at the High-Level Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism in the OSCE Region, co-organized by the Albanian OSCE Chairmanship and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Parliamentary Assembly’s Kristian Vigenin welcomed Albania’s efforts in preserving and promoting religious tolerance.

Kristian Vigenin addresses the opening session of OSCE anti-Semitism conference in Tirana, 4 February 2020Vigenin, an OSCE PA Vice-President and Bulgarian parliamentarian, recalled that the recent 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp is a reminder of what discrimination can lead to. “We should therefore consider anti-Semitism as an issue concerning the whole of our societies and not only the Jewish populations,” he said.

Commending Albania for placing such a high level of focus on the issue at such an early stage of its 2020 Chairmanship of the OSCE, Vice-President Vigenin noted that anti-Semitism is not only on the rise today, but has new means of spreading through the misuse of social media. “In the face of this, we must maintain the memory of the crimes committed, but also invest in policies that promote pluralism and tolerance which can be beneficial in an international environment more complex and interrelated than ever before,” he said.

In order to effectively combat anti-Semitism, Vigenin encouraged governments to make use of ODIHR’s well established expertise and unique toolbox aimed at countering prejudice and promoting tolerance and non-discrimination. It is of crucial importance that OSCE institutions join forces and spare no efforts in promoting and supporting tolerance and non-discrimination with a sense of collective responsibility and free of political agendas, Vigenin said.

He also emphasized the many resolutions adopted by the OSCE PA condemning anti-Semitism. The PA played a leading role in putting this on the OSCE agenda, Vigenin noted, and has consistently supported OSCE activities to enhance efforts in fighting this age-old scourge.

He highlighted in this regard the work of the OSCE PA’s Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism and Intolerance, United States Senator Ben Cardin. Since 2015, Cardin has worked as Special Representative to raise awareness on the persisting problem of prejudice and discrimination in the OSCE, and regularly reports to the PA on these issues. Advocating for more vigorous responses to anti-Semitic acts in the OSCE area, Cardin’s work has helped parliamentarians make use of the OSCE PA as a forum to share best practices and experiences in counteracting these phenomena of intolerance.

On the margins of the Tirana conference, Vigenin has held discussions with colleagues including OSCE/ODIHR Director lngibjorg Gisladottir and Ambassador Paul Bekkers, Director of the Office of the OSCE Secretary General. The conference, dealing with topics such as the role of education and civil society in combating anti-Semitism, continues through Wednesday.

At the OSCE PA’s Winter Meeting later this month, the topic of anti-Semitism will be debated at the closing joint session of the general committees.