George Tsereteli addresses the online meeting to discuss the situation in Belarus, 20 August 2020.COPENHAGEN, 20 August 2020 – Several leaders of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly joined an online meeting Thursday to discuss the situation in Belarus and possible avenues for engagement for the OSCE PA. The meeting served as an opportunity to explore ways for the PA to help resolve the crisis in the best interests of the Belarusian people.

President George Tsereteli (Georgia) and Secretary General Roberto Montella were joined by the Chair of the OSCE PA’s Committee on Political Affairs and Security, Richard Hudson (United States), as well as the Chair, Vice-Chair and Rapporteur of the Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions – Kyriakos Hadjiyianni (Cyprus), Michael Link (Germany), and Kari Henriksen (Norway), respectively. Also participating in the meeting was Ditmir Bushati (Albania), who served as Head of the OSCE PA’s election observation mission to Belarus in 2019.

Topics of discussion during the meeting included short- and long-term strategies for contributing to a democratic and stable Belarus, how to ensure support for human rights and principles of the Helsinki Final Act, and possible options going forward to ensure fair results. Members discussed the role being played by the OSCE’s governmental side and how the PA could contribute to these efforts. It was noted that many OSCE parliamentarians, including Special Representative on Civil Society Engagement Pia Kauma (Finland), have expressed interest in increasing the PA’s involvement.

The meeting was briefly joined by Valery Voronetsky, a member of the Belarusian Delegation to the OSCE PA, who offered a perspective on the current situation on the ground and noted that Belarus is interested in constructive engagement with the international community.

Last week, the PA issued a statement calling for authorities to uphold international human rights standards and for protests to remain nonviolent.