Press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

VIENNA, 30 September 2010 - The following is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly today. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States.

Reviewing our commitments must be done every day, said PA President Efthymiou 

WARSAW, 30 September 2010 - Reviewing our commitments in the OSCE should be an integral part of the day-to-day work of the Organization and not at such an exceptional event as this review conference, said the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Petros Efthymiou in his opening address today at the OSCE Review Conference in Warsaw.

This review conference boils down to one single question, he said: "are our governments sticking to the commitments they made to other OSCE participating States, and to all of us, as citizens?"

President Efthymiou said that the review conference was a good start, but we must make sure that it is not the end of the process. All of us, he continued, "must engage in open dialogue on the crucial issues that lie before us, and the OSCE will be much more successful in its endeavors if it opts for reviewing its agenda, and its implementation, in public," also sayding that "this holds true of the Permanent Council in Vienna."

Although we have come a long way since the Corfu Process, and dialogue in the OSCE has certainly improved, we must continue to improve - and I urge you all not to remain satisfied with the state of things, Mr. Efthymiou said.

"There is no doubt that the Parliamentary Assembly plays a key role in this dialgue," President Efthymiou continued. "Indeed, it is perhaps the only place in the OSCE where open debate takes place ona regular basis."

"Similarly," he continued, "OSCE parliamentarians play a vital role in ensruing effective monitoring of our election-related commitments - and we will continue to perform this critical duty."

President Efthymiou, an experienced member of the Greek Parliament, was elected OSCE PA President at the Assembly's Annual Session in Oslo in July 2010. 

Contact: Andreas Baker, OSCE PA, Mob. +45 60 10 80 30; Email: andreas.baker@oscepa.dk