OSCE PA Annual Session: Condemnation of Russia’s actions in Ukraine among proposed supplementary resolutions

COPENHAGEN, 23 June 2014 – A condemnation of Russia’s actions during the ongoing crisis in Ukraine is among more than a dozen supplementary resolutions submitted for parliamentarians to consider at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Annual Session in Baku, which runs from 28 June to 2 July.

Refugee and immigration policy, the democratic control of public and private security sectors and efforts to combat torture are among the topics of other proposed supplementary resolutions, which are meant to enhance the resolutions of the OSCE PA’s three General Committees. 

Should they be approved by a majority of the nearly 300 parliamentarians in attendance at the Annual Session, the items will become key elements of the OSCE PA’s 2014 Baku Declaration. The Declaration will contain policy recommendations for the OSCE and its 57 participating States in the fields of political affairs and security, economics, the environment and human rights.

The proposed resolution on Russia’s actions in Ukraine, introduced by U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin, “condemns the clear, gross and uncorrected violation of the Helsinki principles by the Russian Federation with respect to Ukraine, including the particularly egregious violation of that country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

The item also “deplores the armed intervention by forces under the control of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, and the human rights violations that they continue to cause.”

It further encourages Ukraine to remain committed to OSCE norms; expresses “unequivocal support for the sovereignty, political independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine”; discredits the March 2014 referendum in Crimea; and notes the “particular vulnerability of Crimean Tatars, Roma, Jews and other minority groups” in the conflict.

Debate and voting on the item is expected during the plenary session that begins at 15:00 Baku time on 1 July.

Migration management, a topic that features in the draft resolutions of both the Second and Third General Committees of the OSCE PA, is also the focus of proposed supplementary resolutions introduced by Cristina De Pietro (MP, Italy) and Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal).

Among other recommendations, De Pietro’s item calls for better addressing the root causes of irregular migration and boosting dialogue with origin and transit countries. Santos’s item urges participating States to negotiate “a more equitable sharing of the flow of refugees,” among other measures.

Other supplementary resolutions to be considered by parliamentarians in Baku deal with parliamentary oversight of security and intelligence services; the prevention of child sex-trafficking; the persistence of torture in the OSCE area; the OSCE’s commitment to Afghanistan; and other topics.

The full text of all supplementary items and draft resolutions, as well as a draft programme for the Annual Session, are available here. 

The Session will be live-streamed on the OSCE PA homepage, www.oscepa.org.

Follow news from the Session on Twitter using the hashtag #BakuAS.

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.