OSCE PA President expresses grave concern at developments in Ukraine; calls on States to respect Helsinki Final Act

COPENHAGEN, 3 March 2014 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ranko Krivokapic today expressed grave concern at developments in Ukraine and urged all OSCE participating States to respect the principles and spirit of the Helsinki Final Act.

“I am gravely concerned at the deteriorating situation in Ukraine, which threatens the security and peace of the entire region. Any breach of the sovereignty of an OSCE participating State is in violation of the Helsinki Final Act, which prescribes respect for the inviolability of frontiers and the territorial integrity of States, as well as non-intervention in internal affairs and a commitment to peaceful dispute-resolution. Failure to comply with these commitments is indefensible,” Krivokapic said.

“I call on Russia and Ukraine to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation, including through reliance on dialogue within the OSCE and its Parliamentary Assembly,” he added.

The Parliamentary Assembly continues to monitor the situation in Ukraine and supports the efforts of the Swiss Chairmanship-in-Office toward achieving a diplomatic solution.

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 56 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.