OSCE PA Special Representatives appointed to work on regional issues in the South Caucasus, Eastern Europe and Central Asia

COPENHAGEN, 9 December 2020 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli (Georgia) has appointed Special Representatives to cover the important portfolios of the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe. The Special Representatives will serve as focal points for the PA’s work in the regions, provide advice, and regularly report back to the President and the Assembly.

Ditmir Bushati, Head of the OSCE PA’s Albanian Delegation and former Foreign Minister of Albania, has been designated Special Representative on the South Caucasus. His mandate includes:

• Following the overall political situation in the region and seeking to promote dialogue in all segments of society, in particular at the parliamentary level, in order to encourage reconciliation and rehabilitation with regard to the protracted conflicts in the region;
• Considering ways for confidence-building measures to create more favourable conditions, conducive to the identification and implementation of political solutions based on the principles and values of OSCE commitments and international law;
• Working closely with the OSCE Chairmanship and executive structures, the Minsk Group, its Co-Chairs, as well as the Chairman-in-Office’s Personal Representative on the Conflict Dealt With by the Minsk Group, and following the developments in the Geneva International Discussions.

Reinhold Lopatka, Deputy Head of the Austrian Delegation to the OSCE PA and Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism, has been appointed Special Representative on Central Asia. His mandate includes:

• Encouraging active participation by parliamentarians from Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan), as well as Mongolia, in the work of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to strengthen parliamentarism in the region;
• Liaising with and supporting the work of the OSCE field missions in the region, as well as relevant OSCE institutions, international and regional organizations and diplomatic missions;
• Encouraging closer contacts between the parliaments in the region to promote greater intra-regional co-operation in all three OSCE dimensions.

Daniela De Ridder (Germany) will serve as Special Representative on Eastern Europe, with a mandate to serve as the primary point of contact within the OSCE PA on issues pertinent to the region. Additionally, she will:

• Promote dialogue in all segments of society, in particular at the parliamentary level, in order to lend the Parliamentary Assembly’s contribution in the spheres of parliamentary diplomacy, confidence building, reconciliation and dialogue facilitation;
• Liaise and co-ordinate with other OSCE and OSCE PA structures as well as other relevant domestic and international actors on regional issues, particularly in relation to Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova;
• Advise the President on the situation in the region and potential actions by the PA, and undertake country visits as deemed necessary.

All the mandates expire at the end of the OSCE PA’s Annual Session in Bucharest, in July 2021.