News and press releases

VIENNA, 15 September 2017 – All tracks of diplomacy – official discussions, informal dialogue, and people-to-people contact – are needed to build the trust needed for long-term peace, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Christine Muttonen (MP, Austria) said today at an event in Vienna. Parliamentarians are in a unique position to facilitate dialogue, she said, noting that OSCE PA meetings often provide opportunities for informal conversations, and that through their diplomatic efforts, parliamentarians can establish important lines of communication for confidence-building...

COPENHAGEN, 15 September 2017 – Celebrating today’s International Day of Democracy, being observed this year under the theme “Democracy and Conflict Prevention,” the leadership of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions said that democratic institutions must be strengthened throughout the OSCE area to prevent conflict and promote peace and stability.

COPENHAGEN, 14 September 2017 – The Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee, Spanish parliamentarian Ignacio Sanchez Amor, today reiterated calls for clear, effective and transparent legal procedures in Turkey including for those dismissed or imprisoned following last year’s failed coup d’état. Today marks the last day on which people can appeal against their dismissal to a special government commission charged with their review....

ASTANA, 25 August 2017 – Building a common security system for the OSCE area based on trust and co-operation is incompatible with national security strategies based on nuclear deterrence, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Christine Muttonen said today at the 62nd Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs in Astana, Kazakhstan...

COPENHAGEN, 17 August 2017 – OSCE Parliamentary President Christine Muttonen (Austria), Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism Chair Makis Voridis (Greece) and human rights committee Chair Nacho Sanchez Amor (Spain) condemned today the attack in Barcelona, Spain, which is being treated by the authorities as terrorism. At least 13 people were killed and 50 seriously injured when a van plowed into pedestrians in the city’s historic Las Ramblas district.

COPENHAGEN, 20 July 2017 – The three officers of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions – Chair Ignacio Sanchez Amor (Spain), Vice-Chair Ivana Dobesova (Czech Republic) and Rapporteur Kyriakos Kyriakou-Hadjiyianni (Cyprus) – today issued the following statement regarding the one-year anniversary of Turkey’s state of emergency...

MAUERBACH, Austria, 11 July 2017 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Christine Muttonen (MP, Austria) addressed today the OSCE Informal Ministerial Meeting being held in Mauerbach, Austria, under the theme “Building Trust through Dialogue and Co-operation.”...