Austrian leadership important for OSCE says PA President in Vienna

VIENNA, 17 January 2019 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli (MP, Georgia) and OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella met on Wednesday with the President of the Austrian National Council and Head of the Delegation of Austria to the OSCE PA, Wolfgang Sobotka.

In their conversation, Tsereteli praised the role of Austria in the OSCE and its Parliamentary Assembly:

“As the home of the OSCE, Austria has always been a strong and generous supporter of our work and has allowed our Organization to conduct its important work,” said OSCE PA President Tsereteli. “I particularly value Austria’s leadership within the Parliamentary Assembly. It is no coincidence that two of my predecessors were members of the Austrian parliament and that the Austrian delegation continues to play such an active role in our activities.”

Tsereteli and Sobotka exchanged extensively on the situation in and around Ukraine, following the Austrian Speaker’s recent visit to Kyiv and last December’s visit to Eastern Ukraine by the leadership of the PA’s Third Committee.

They also discussed upcoming PA events, including next month’s Winter Meeting, which President Sobotka is scheduled to address.

While in Vienna, President Tsereteli met with Reinhold Lopatka, the Deputy Head of the Austrian Delegation, for talks on the work and priorities of the Austrian delegation, as well as future PA activities, including election observation and participation in OSCE events. Tsereteli also exchanged with the PA’s Special Representative on Central Asia, Roman Haider, regarding his plans in the run-up to the 2019 Annual Session.