Vilhelm Junnila and Pia Kauma, Helsinki, 23 September 2022HELSINKI, 24/09/2022 – The spirit of unity that launched the OSCE in Helsinki in 1975 is as relevant in 2022 as it was then, participants said at an event hosted by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Parliament of Finland. The OSCE must continue to act as a unique instrument in building bridges in our region, it was emphasized, and building peace in Ukraine was emphasized as the organization’s primary goal.

In her opening speech, Pia Kauma, vice-president of the OSCE PA and member of the Finnish OSCE PA delegation, presented the topics of the discussion, focusing on the OSCE’s role in responding to security challenges. He described the goal that the seminar produced practical views and recommendations for the development of the activities of the OSCE and especially the OSCE Parliamentary General Assembly, and notes the growing urgent consideration of cooperation on the direction in which the European security structure is heading before the 50th anniversary of the OSCE in 2025. .

Margareta Cederfelt, chairperson of the OSCE PA, gave the opening speech and reminded that 47 years ago the founding document of the OSCE was signed in Helsinki. “Today,” he said, “the spectrum of instability appears to be unparalleled since the fall of communism.” He particularly emphasized the need to strengthen multilateralism in this difficult time.

“Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is entering its seventh month, and we are witnessing the most brazen attempt to change Europe’s security architecture by force,” Cederfelt said. In addition, recent fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia and armed clashes between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan reinforce the need for a strong OSCE. In order to meet these challenges effectively, “we must firmly defend the Helsinki Decalogue as a cornerstone of European security,” President Cederfelt said. “At the same time, we must encourage open and robust dialogue between adversaries and competitors.”

Matti Vanhanen, Speaker of the Parliament, also spoke at the event held on Friday; Erik Lundberg from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Vilhelm Junnila, head of the Finnish OSCE PA delegation; Roberto Montella, Secretary General of the OSCE PA; and Ambassador Lamberto Zannier, former OSCE Secretary General and current OSCE PA High Level Expert.

The event was also attended by several other members of the OSCE PA Office, including the Vice-President and Special Representative against Corruption, Irene Charalambides (Cyprus); Vice-President, Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on Counter-Terrorism and Special Representative of the Parliamentary Dialogue on Ukraine Reinhold Lopatka (Austria); Vice-President and Special Representative for the South Caucasus Pere Joan Pons (Spain); Vice-Chairman and Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration Mark Pritchard (United Kingdom); Vice President and Special Representative for Sustainable Development Goals Askar Shakirov (Kazakhstan).

The event was also joined by officials from the OSCE PA General Committees, including Costel Neculai Dunava (Romania), Azay Guliyev (Azerbaijan) and Farah Karimi (Netherlands), as well as the Special Representative for Eastern Europe Daniela De Ridder (Germany); Special Representative for Civil Society Kyriakos Hadjiyianni (Cyprus), Special Representative for Arctic Affairs Bryndis Haraldsdóttir (Iceland) and Special Representative for Digital Strategy Radu Mihai-Mihail (Romania).

In the panel discussions, the observations of researchers and OSCE officials were presented. Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Center and Deputy Director of the OSCE, Tuula Yrjölä, spoke about the toolkit of the OSCE’s early warning mechanisms, and Sergey Utkin, assistant professor of the University of Southern Denmark, spoke about Russia and its foreign policy. University of Helsinki doctoral researcher Bradley Reynolds spoke about the development and prospects of the OSCE and the spirit of Helsinki.

Other panelists included Walter Kemp, Director of Global Strategy Against Transnational Organized Crime at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime; and Ambassador R. Tacan Ildem, President of EDAM, Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Research.

Participants discussed how to preserve and further exploit the OSCE’s strengths, as well as the main obstacles preventing the organization from reaching its full potential in the changed international environment. Participants offered ideas on what can be done to reform the factors that prevent the organization from playing an effective role in the current situation, and they emphasized the need to revitalize the OSCE, with a particular focus on the role of parliamentarians.

It was emphasized that improving inter-institutional dialogue and cooperation in the OSCE, as well as improving the working methods of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the OSCE’s decision-making processes and cooperation with other international organizations were important.

Friday’s event was organized as part of the OSCE PA’s Call for Action – Helsinki +50 initiative. For background on this initiative: Click here.