The work of the 20th Autumn Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA) began yesterday. Ms Irene Charalambidou, Vice-Chairwoman of the OSCE CSO, chaired the 2nd thematic session on the promotion of economic and environmental security in the midst of the current crisis in Ukraine.
In her opening remarks, Ms. Charalambidou expressed full solidarity with the people of Ukraine who have been suffering for more than nine months since the Russian Federation launched its aggression against Ukraine, which, she underlined, violates OSCE principles and values. She further noted that, in addition to its dramatic military, political and humanitarian consequences, the war directly undermines economic and environmental security in Europe.
Any nuclear accident, Ms. Charalambidou said, would have devastating environmental, economic and health consequences for decades and stressed the urgent need to create safe zones around all nuclear power plants, welcoming the direct involvement of the OSCE in this issue.
The Vice-Chair of the OSCE CSO warned that there are serious risks to the health of citizens at the cross-border level as a result of military operations, noting the emission of huge amounts of carbon dioxide, the destruction of significant forest areas and biodiversity, as well as the high level of pollution of Ukraine's soil, air and water resources.
Regarding the current energy crisis, Ms. Charalambidou pointed out that oil and gas prices are at their highest levels in years, causing economic distress, social instability and inflation, and have led most European governments to rethink and diversify their energy reserves to ensure greater resilience in the future. She also referred to the systematic attacks on infrastructure in Ukraine that have left millions of citizens without heat, electricity and water as severe winter weather looms, as well as sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines.
Ms Charalambidou also expressed concern about the emerging food crisis, which she said will affect 1.7 billion people around the world. She noted that the adoption of economic sanctions puts a strain on the economies of some participating States, bringing additional hardship to citizens.
In this extremely complex context, the need to work together to promote economic and environmental security is greater than ever, Ms. Charalambidou concluded.
Moreover, in her intervention yesterday in a thematic session examining the impact of the war in Ukraine on the OSCE, Ms. Charalambidou expressed her strong concern about the possibility of a nuclear catastrophe. Referring to the recent incident in which a missile landed in Poland, Ms. Charalambidou stressed that the threat of escalation continues to be high. She noted in this regard that unconfirmed allegations about the origin of the missile launch could have dire consequences for global stability if NATO were involved. He said that conflict prevention, as well as mediation and peace-building capabilities, which are core competencies of the OSCE, should be further strengthened.
Referring specifically to Cyprus, Ms Charalambidou informed that Cyprus had consented to the adoption of sanctions against Russia to the detriment of its economic and diplomatic relations with the country, while supporting Ukraine's accession perspective and hosting more than 15,000 Ukrainians who fled the war and sought refuge in Cyprus. In conclusion, Ms. Charalambidou stressed that the parallels between the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and the Russian invasion of Ukraine are very obvious and that violations of international law must be met with the same determination, whether they take place in Cherson, Varosha, Lugansk or the Aegean.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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