The 26th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has adopted the Resolution “On Strengthening Energy Security in the OSCE Region”
The decision to adopt the Resolution “On Strengthening Energy Security in the OSCE Region” was taken by the OSCE PA Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment within the framework of the 26th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on July 7, 2017 in Minsk, the Republic of Belarus, by outright majority of those voting. The draft of the resolution was prepared and triggered by Olga Bielkova, a member of the Ukrainian Parliamentary Permanent delegation to OSCE PA. The Resolution included five amendments made by Cyprus, Romania and the USA, approved in full by Ukraine. The Russian delegation voted against the Resolution.
During the session, in his a speech a Canadian delegate D. Elison stressed the peculiarity of the Ukrainian situation with regard to cybersecurity and critical infrastructure, and denoted that the Russian Federation at every turn utilizes gas and other energy resources as a political weapon in the OSCE Region.
The Resolution “On Strengthening Energy Security in the OSCE Region” is aimed among the other things at recognition by the OSCE participating countries the highest vulnerability of the critical energy infrastructure and ecosystems to the risks posed by conflicts, the need for strengthening energy security and mitigating the risks that may have severe and irreversible human, economic and ecological impact, the importance of adapting energy systems and protecting critical energy infrastructure while security challenges and threats grow, that the well-being of people, economic development, and environmental sustainability depend on safe, secure, sustainable energy as one of the engines of economic growth and key to sustainable development, that the renewable energy industry drives technological innovation and employment across the OSCE region, that threats or use of force against participating States exercising their rights in their territory or their Exclusive Economic Zone constitute a grave violation of international law and undermine stability and security in Europe, that participating States have the sovereign right to explore and exploit their energy resources in their territory or in their Exclusive Economic Zone, in accordance with customary international law and pertinent treaties, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the importance of the protection of critical energy infrastructure from terrorist attacks.