President Christine Muttonen addresses anti-terrorism conference in St. Petersburg, 28 March 2017. (Photo: Interparliamentary Assembly of CIS Member Nations) ST. PETERSBURG, 28 March 2017 – The Parliamentary Conference on Combating International Terrorism, co-organized by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States, concluded today in St. Petersburg confirming the prominent role

Christine Muttonen (left) meets with Vyacheslav Volodin in St. Petersburg, 27 March 2017. ST. PETERSBURG, 27 March 2017 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Christine Muttonen (MP, Austria) today held a series of bilateral meetings in St. Petersburg ahead of the Parliamentary Conference on Combating International Terrorism, co-organized by the OSCE PA and Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States, which she is

Kent Harstedt and Ignacio Sanchez Amor COPENHAGEN, 27 March 2017 – Belarusian authorities must respect principles of freedom of assembly in their handling of demonstrations, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee Chair Ignacio Sanchez Amor and Kent Harstedt, the Chair of the Assembly’s Ad Hoc Working Group on Belarus, said today in response to mass arrests of protesters that took place over the weekend. They further called for

OSCE PA Vice-President and Chair of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Belarus Kent Harstedt COPENHAGEN, 24 March 2017 – Kent Harstedt (MP, Sweden), the Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Ad Hoc Working Group on Belarus, today expressed concerns regarding an increasingly hazardous atmosphere pertaining to demonstrations that have taken place in recent weeks and other gatherings that are reportedly planned to be held tomorrow. “The Belarusian

Ignacio Sanchez Amor and Geir Jorgen Bekkevold COPENHAGEN, 24 March 2017 – OSCE parliamentarians will observe the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia and provide leadership for the OSCE’s short-term observer mission. OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Sebastian Kurz has appointed Ignacio Sanchez Amor (MP, Spain) as Special Co-ordinator to lead the expected 250 short-term OSCE observers for the 2 April vote. Geir Jorgen Bekkevold (MP, Norway)

Valentina Matvienko, Christine Muttonen and Doris Bures at the "OSCE Security Policy - Female Perspectives" conference in Vienna, 23 March 2017. Photo: Austrian Parliament / Johannes Zinner VIENNA, 23 March 2017 – Improving the level of engagement of women in discussions on security, including conflict resolution and addressing violent extremism, was in focus today at a day-long conference hosted by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly at the