Iryna Herashchenko, the First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine participates in opening of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 26^th Annual Session in Minsk, Belarus

From July 5 till 9, 2017 Minsk is hosting the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 26^th Annual Session. The Ukraine’s Permanent parliamentary delegation at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly headed by A.Herasimov takes part, too. With some 260 parliamentarians from North America, Europe and Asia participating, the theme of the Session is “Enhancing mutual trust and co-operation for peace and prosperity in the OSCE region”.

The largest event on the Assembly’s calendar, the Annual Session consists of several days of meetings featuring high-level speeches and debates, and will culminate in the adoption of the Minsk Declaration. This political document will contain recommendations to national governments, parliaments and the international community in the fields of political affairs, security, economics, environment and human rights.

Representing the collective voice of the OSCE parliamentarians, the Declaration helps shape OSCE and national policy, and will be complemented by a number of supplementary items on a wide range of issues relating to OSCE commitments and values. The Annual Session will also include elections of several OSCE Parliamentary Assembly officers, including President, Vice-Presidents and Treasurer.

The session agenda comprises anti-terrorism issues, climate changes, migration process, strengthening the tools OSCE uses to protect the human rights.

Particular attention is to be paid to the ongoing aggression of Russia against Ukraine, numerous violations of the human rights throughout the occupied Crimea, aggravation of the situation in the SRDLO.

The Session’s agenda in brief:

Wednesday 5 July

Inaugural opening session

Call to order by the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly,

Address by the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko,

Address by the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Christine Muttonen,

Address by the Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko,

Address by the Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria Sebastian Kurz.

Thursday 6 July

Issues to be considered:

-Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions,

-Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment,

-Political Affairs and Security.

Friday 7 July

Issues to be considered:

-Political Affairs and Security,

-Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment,

-Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions,

-Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment,

-Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions.

Saturday 8 July

Issues to be considered:

-Political Affairs and Security,

-Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment,-Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions,

-Report by the OSCE PA Special Representative on Gender Issues,

-General Debate.

Sunday 9 July

-Plenary Session,

-Continuation of the Open General Debate,

-Address by the Secretary General of the OSCE,

-Report of the Treasurer of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly,

-Report of the Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly,

-Adoption of the Minsk Declaration,

-Election of Assembly Officers.

The Ukrainian delegation is set on submitting for the parliamentary delegations’ consideration two draft resolutions - on restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and on enhancement of the OSCE regional energy security.    

By the draft resolutions prepared the OSCE PA deputies are to call on Russia to end the Donbas and Crimea occupation and declare ‘due respect to inviolability of borders and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of conflicts, equality of rights and self-determination of nations’ defined by Helsinki Final Act, and also appeal to Russia for ‘restraining from aggressive policy and cancelling its decision on the illegal annexation of the Crimea’.

Additionally, bilateral meetings with some parliamentary delegations of the OSCE PA members are scheduled to take place on the sidelines of this summer session.

The Ukrainian party expects that the resolution drafts tabled by the Ukraine’s Permanent parliamentary delegation at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly be supported by the session majority and included in the final version of the Minsk Declaration.

On July 5 the OSCE PA parliamentarians established a counter-terrorism committee.

In his speech, the head of the Ukrainian delegation brought up again the issue of liberation of the 132 hostages illegally seized in Donbas and the Crimean Tatar prisoners held in the Russian Federation. He also called on the OSCE PA participants to put a heavier press on Russia for granting the Red Cross access to the illegally seized throughout the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas and in Russia as well.