OSCE PA Special Representative warns co-operation against terrorism “seriously lagging behind”
COPENHAGEN, 28 April 2014 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on Anti-Terrorism, Nikolay Kovalev (MP, Russian Federation), warned today that international co-operation against terrorism is “seriously lagging behind.”
Addressing the OSCE’s Counter-Terrorism Conference today in Interlaken, Switzerland, Kovalev said, “It is impossible to confront the threat of terror in today’s world without international efforts. However, the level and pace of the development of co-operation in the sphere of counter-terrorism are seriously lagging behind the demands of our time and do not entirely reflect the gravity of the global terror threat.”
Kovalev, who is also Head of the Russian Delegation to the OSCE PA, highlighted the persisting divide between East and West as undermining success.
“The continuing rift between East and West -- the ‘crisis of confidence’ between OSCE participating States -- is one of the key reasons why in the sphere of counter-terrorism we have seen so few long-term results,” he said.
The Special Representative identified the prevention of attacks at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi as an example of the international co-operation that OSCE participating States should strive for in combating terrorism.
He noted that enhanced international co-operation is all the more crucial given the “dynamic transformation of modern terrorism” taking place today, marked by the threat of cyber-attacks and increasingly complex financing schemes for terrorists, among other characteristics.
Special Representative Kovalev was appointed by OSCE PA President Ranko Krivokapic in November 2013. His mandate includes facilitating an exchange of views among parliamentarians on anti-terrorism issues; communicating with relevant actors within the OSCE and other international bodies who work on issues related to the fight against terrorism; and reporting to the OSCE PA President on terrorism trends and anti-terror efforts.
The Counter-Terrorism Conference, organized by the 2014 Swiss Chairmanship, explores the role of the OSCE in addressing current terrorist challenges, bringing together representatives of government and civil society, as well as academic experts.
This is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States.
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is comprised of 323 parliamentarians from 56 countries spanning, Europe, Central Asia and North America. The Assembly provides a forum for parliamentary diplomacy, monitors elections, and strengthens international cooperation to uphold commitments on political, security, economic, environmental and human rights issues.