[PIO] Participation of Mr Kyriakos Hatzigiannis at the Autumn Meeting of the OSCE CSO

The 21st Autumn Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE CSC) continues today in Yerevan.

The Vice-President of the CSC. Mr. Kyriakos Hatzigiannis, in a discussion on the role of the OSCE in the current conflicts, highlighted the geopolitical importance of the Eastern Mediterranean and expressed concern about the growing instability. He underlined that further escalation of the war in Gaza would lead to unforeseen consequences for the whole region.

Hatzigiannis referred to the continuing deterioration of respect for international law in Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabakh and the Gaza Strip, noting that present and new conflicts in the wider OSCE region have now become the new normal. Particularly worrying, he stressed, is the fact that international and regional organisations active in the field of crisis prevention and management have failed to uphold respect for international law. Therefore, the Cypriot MP stressed, immediate ways should be sought to adapt the OSCE to the rapidly changing geopolitical realities in order to ensure the credibility and effectiveness of the Organization.

Specifically with regard to Israel's war against Hamas, Hatzigiannis said that the heinous attack by this terrorist organisation against Israel and the use of civilians as human shields constitute acts of barbarity and are absolutely reprehensible. Hamas, Hatzigianni stressed, is a terrorist and not a liberation organization and it is necessary to demonstrate political will to put an end to such acts that exacerbate violence. He warned that the support shown by some countries to Hamas will lead to the destabilization of the entire Middle East and stressed the urgent need to reach agreed political solutions in line with international law and the aspirations of the peoples of the region.

In addition, Mr. Hatzigiannis, in his capacity as Special Representative of the Assembly for South Eastern Europe, referred to the Western Balkans, noting that the region is a source of tension that has been building up for decades and must be reduced immediately. Welcoming the recent visit of the President of the European Commission to the Western Balkans, the Cypriot MEP informed the Assembly members of his intention to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina in the near future for an exchange of views with high-level officials of the country on developments in the region and the need to strengthen regional cooperation. Hatzigiannis had a meeting with the delegations of Balkan countries, namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Republic of North Macedonia, Greece and Croatia, during which a common desire was expressed to hold an inter-parliamentary forum, the aim of which would be to strengthen cooperation between the delegations of South-Eastern European countries in the C.E.C. OSCE.

(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source

[/URL][/P]
Source[/P]