OSCE PA President Tsereteli and SG Montella build co-operation with Inter-Parliamentary Union in Belgrade

COPENHAGEN, 21 October 2019 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli and Secretary General Roberto Montella have wrapped up a visit to Belgrade, where they held a series of bilateral meetings last week and participated in the 141st Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

President Tsereteli addressed the IPU, speaking about the importance of parliamentary diplomacy and strengthening international law. He stressed that he is concerned about “a renewed potential for international conflicts, a deteriorating human rights situation globally, and the breakdown of multilateralism in general.”

“Parliamentarians must continue to be a voice of de-escalation and offer creative and concrete solutions,” Tsereteli said. He also advocated a stronger role for civil society organizations, and called for advancing gender mainstreaming and youth participation to provide the opportunity for individuals to improve our institutions and highlight shortcomings.

“It is only by upholding this core mission of parliamentarianism – governing of the people, by the people, for the people – that we can truly strengthen international law and diplomacy, achieve durable peace, protect human rights, address climate change and ensure sustainable economic development so that our children can inherit a better world,” Tsereteli said.

On 16 October, President Tsereteli and Secretary General Montella met with Martin Chungong, Secretary General of the IPU, for discussions on how to enhance co-operation between the OSCE PA and the IPU. The sides discussed concrete plans for a joint meeting, with SG Chungong informing Tsereteli of a regional conference scheduled for next year on counter-terrorism that the OSCE PA could participate in.

Chungong also invited the OSCE PA to participate in the Speakers’ Conference to take place in Vienna 17-20 August 2020. In addition, they discussed practical matters including the IPU’s mechanism of donations used to fund IPU activities.

Watch President Tsereteli’s speech on YouTube or download in PDF format here.

For a press release on Tsereteli and Montella’s Serbian-OSCE PA bilateral meetings in Belgrade, please click here.