Head of the Turkish Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Selami Altinok closes the Parliamentary Conference on 18 Nov. 2025ISTANBUL, 18 November 2025 – Some 200 parliamentarians from 53 OSCE participating States gathered in Istanbul for a Parliamentary Conference on Monday and Tuesday, debating ways to reinforce dialogue, strengthen rule-based global trade, and protect lives in an era of uncertainty. Held under the theme “The OSCE at 50: Revitalizing Multilateralism through Dialogue and Co-operation,” the event marked 50 years since the Helsinki Final Act.

At the closing, Head of the Turkish Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Selami Altinok, OSCE PA President Pere Joan Pons (Spain) and Secretary General Roberto Montella underlined the historical role of Türkiye as a promoter of diplomacy, emphasized the need to revive the spirit of co-operation that led to the creation of the OSCE in 1975, and stressed the need to continue inter-parliamentary dialogue in challenging times.

“We face many serious challenges, chief of which is the ongoing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, which affects peace and security in all our countries,” President Pons said. “It is vital that the Parliamentary Assembly remains united and committed to help Ukraine and to work together to address our challenges.”

Chairing the first session on Monday, OSCE PA President Emerita and Special Representative on Mediation and Election Observation Pia Kauma (Finland) underscored dialogue as the OSCE PA’s core mandate.

Session I: “Bridging Perspectives: Reinforcing Dialogue, Mediation, and Trust in an Era of Uncertainty”“We see this reflected across our work, in the efforts of our Ad Hoc Committees addressing terrorism and migration issues and in our sustained engagement through regional portfolios,” she said. “It is from this perspective that we approach the situation in Ukraine, a context in which those very commitments have been gravely violated and where the consequences of failed dialogue are most painfully evident.”

Keynote speakers, including Senior Advisor to the President of Türkiye Çağrı Erhan, President of the European Institute of Peace Helga Maria Schmid, and Executive Director of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue David Harland, stressed the importance of dialogue and mediation in an “era of uncertainty.” Türkiye’s mediation initiatives were highlighted, notably the “Mediation for Peace” initiative at the UN, the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and efforts in Somalia, the Balkans, and the Middle East. Speakers underscored the growing need for safe spaces for states and diplomats to reach common ground in a multipolar world.

The second session, chaired by OSCE PA Vice-President Gudrun Kugler (Austria), focused on rule-based global trade. “Instead of divide-and-rule policies or weaponizing energy and grain exports, we need to create relationships, trust and more strategic connectivity – for example by advocating for infrastructure and energy corridors within the OSCE space,” Kugler said. OSCE PA Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment Chair Azay Guliyev (Azerbaijan) identified climate change, armed conflicts, and geopolitical competition as urgent challenges.

“The growing competition for strategic resources, critical materials, and emerging technologies is increasingly undermining the foundations of open and rules-based trade,” Guliyev said. “Long-term multilateral co-operation gives way to short-term bilateral strategies that prioritize immediate advantage over collective prosperity.”

Keynote speakers, including Prof. Mustafa Ege Yazgan, Rector of Istanbul Bilgi University, John Drummond, Head of Division, Trade Policy, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and Amb. Bakyt Dzhusupov, Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), called for revitalizing multilateralism. They urged parliamentarians to promote “strategic connectivity” through infrastructure and energy corridors to ensure trade remains a driver of security and sustainable development.

Session III: “Human Dignity First: Protecting Lives, Upholding Rights, and Supporting Families and Communities”The third session, chaired by OSCE PA Vice-President Luis Graça (Portugal), addressed human dignity in conflict and crisis, particularly the need to support children, families, and vulnerable communities. “We meet today at a challenging moment,” Graça said. “The international order is under deep – and, some might say, unprecedented – strain. True security begins with people, and behind every security challenge lies human loss and suffering.”

Keynote speakers Sarah Muscroft, Director of the Response Support Branch, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Paolo Marchi, UNICEF Representative to Türkiye, and Prof. Şebnem Akçapar from the Social Sciences University of Ankara emphasized collective action and international humanitarian law to address ongoing crises.

Members repeatedly called for the release of three illegally detained OSCE officials – Vadym Golda, Maxim Petrov, and Dmytro Shabanov. Sharon Hodgson, Head of the United Kingdom Delegation to the OSCE PA and Chair of the Parliamentary Support Team for Ukraine (PSTU), urged parliamentarians to utilize all available tools to advocate for their cases in their home parliaments and governments.

On Monday, Hodgson met with Marharyta Shabanova, wife of Dmytro Shabanov, alongside President Pons and Secretary General Montella to discuss the case.

For more information about the Istanbul Autumn Meeting, please click here.

Photos are available for public use at the OSCE PA’s Flickr page.