Finnish State Secretary to address OSCE Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Vienna

VIENNA, 20 February 2008 - Finnish State Secretary Teija Tiilikainen will speak at the opening of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's winter meeting that opens in Vienna tomorrow.

Tiilikainen, who will represent the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva, will offer an overview of the priorities of the 2008 OSCE Finnish Chairmanship and speak about the challenges the Organization faces.

The two-day Winter Meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will debate current issues relating to OSCE activities in the politico-military, economic and environmental and human dimension. Kosovo and the Conventional Armed Forces Treaty will also be discussed.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE was established in 1990. The primary task of the 320 member Assembly is to promote parliamentary involvement in the activities of the OSCE and to facilitate inter-parliamentary dialogue and co-operation, important aspects of the overall effort to meet the challenges of democracy throughout the OSCE area.

Journalists are invited to attend the opening session at 11:45 on Thursday, 21 February. All following sessions will also be open to the media.

For further information, please contact:

Aleksi Harkonen, Head of the Finnish OSCE Chairmanship Task
Force, tel. +358 9 1605 5496, +358 400 330 406

Antti Turunen, Permanent Representative of Finland to the OSCE,
tel. +43 1 535 1034, mobile +43664 542 1573