PA President Krivokapic urges Permanent Council to focus on OSCE’s strengths

VIENNA, 31 October 2013 – A stronger Parliamentary Assembly would greatly enhance the transparency and legitimacy of the OSCE, said OSCE PA President Ranko Krivokapic in an address to the OSCE Permanent Council today in Vienna.

The Assembly president called on ambassadors in Vienna to focus on the OSCE's strengths, particularly its inclusive nature.

"Our inclusivity must be complemented by raising the visibility of the OSCE in places where we are most needed and where stability is most vital to sustain security and peace in our region as a whole," he said.

Noting that as a parliamentarian from Montenegro and as a citizen of a region that has benefited greatly from the OSCE, Krivokapic said he deeply respects the significance of the diplomats' work in Vienna. But the citizens of OSCE countries should have a more active role in international co-operation, beyond the symbolism of declarations and addresses, he stressed.

"The elected representatives need to have a more decisive role in the OSCE, more like the role they play in other similar parliamentary bodies," he said. "The elected parliamentarians should have a more active role in certain high-ranking appointments and the adoption of the OSCE budget."

Regarding the approaching 40th anniversary of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, the president emphasized that this is a time for the OSCE to once again take up the mantle of leadership.

"Our organization may never be perfect," he said, "nor meet the expectations of all its members, but we have to have the power to be ready to meet new challenges and be willing to constantly improve our work."

On election observation, he said that the OSCE must create good synergy, and expressed optimism that despite intra-organizational challenges over recent years, there are good signals for improving mutual co-operation and harmonization between the OSCE's institutions.

The president's full speech is available here.

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 57 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.