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COPENHAGEN, 22 March 2021 – Speaking today at the Kalinowski Forum, a roundtable of leaders and experts focused on the future of Belarus, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Peter Lord Bowness (United Kingdom) stressed the need for parliamentarians to continue reminding national governments of issues related to democratic development in Belarus.
The OSCE PA, he said, remains ready to support Belarus through expert advice on constitutional, electoral, and other reforms. President Bowness underlined the importance for Belarusian authorities and parliamentarians to communicate a consistent timeline and scope of the reported constitutional and political reforms, as a means of promoting a trust building and participatory approach.
“As we have on other issues of relevance to the OSCE and when dealing with other OSCE participating States, we will continue to make it clear that while we remain committed to open dialogue with our colleagues in the Belarusian Parliament, we are not ready to compromise on fundamental principles,” Bowness said. “That is why we will continue to denounce violations of human rights. We will continue to publicly call out the harassment, intimidation, or attack on opposition members.”
Highlighting the work of OSCE PA Special Representative on Eastern Europe Daniela De Ridder, whose mandate covers Belarus, President Bowness noted her efforts in maintaining constructive communication both with Members of the OSCE PA’s Belarusian Delegation and with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
The President said that the developments in Belarus since last August’s presidential election have caused great concern among members of the OSCE PA. “Since the summer, we are consistently following developments, and denouncing the clear violation of human rights and democratic principles,” Bowness said.
President Bowness also reiterated the full support of the Parliamentary Assembly for the proposal made by the OSCE Albanian Chairpersonship, and reiterated by the Swedish Chairpersonship, to visit Minsk and broker honest and direct dialogue between the authorities and the opposition.
In addition to President Bowness, today’s forum featured OSCE PA Special Representative on Human Trafficking Chris Smith (United States), who expressed hope that the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people will be met. He cautioned the international community not to forget about the situation in Belarus or to succumb to a “business as usual” attitude.
Established in Vilnius on 24 August 2020 and hosted by the Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas), the Kalinowski Forum has brought together many high-level political figures for discussions on the future of Belarus.
To watch the video of today's Kalinowski Forum please click here.
