Situation in Ukraine features in talks as OSCE PA President visits Czech Republic

COPENHAGEN, 5 March 2014 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ranko Krivokapic today completed a two-day visit to the Czech Republic, where the crisis in Ukraine and the role the OSCE can play in helping to resolve it featured in talks with government leaders and lawmakers.

Krivokapic met with Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, Senate President Milan Stech and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Jan Hamacek on 4 March. He also met with representatives of the Czech Delegation to the OSCE PA and addressed lawmakers from both houses of the Czech Parliament during his visit.

“My Czech hosts and I agreed on the need for the OSCE to produce real results in mediating the crisis in Ukraine. We feel that there is a window of opportunity for the Organization to help find a lasting solution and I expressed my view that monitoring is important, but not enough. The OSCE should work toward facilitating direct and constructive negotiations between the Ukrainians and the Russians, and OSCE parliamentarians, as direct representatives of the people, can play a vital role,” Krivokapic said.

The OSCE PA President also discussed the Assembly’s plans to provide leadership to an OSCE election observation mission for Ukraine’s 25 May presidential vote.

During talks, Krivokapic also stressed the need for OSCE reform and expressed his appreciation for the active role of the Czech Republic in election-monitoring and other Parliamentary Assembly activities.

In his role as Speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro, he also discussed the ambitions of his home country toward further integration into Euro-Atlantic structures.

Click here for video of remarks by President Krivokapic and Czech Senate President Milan Stech after their meeting on 4 March.

Krivokapic will next travel to Paris on 7 March, where he will address the PACE Standing Committee and meet with the PACE President Anne Brasseur. He will be joined by OSCE PA Secretary General Spencer Oliver.

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.