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The 21st Autumn Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA) continues today in Yerevan.
The Vice-President of the Assembly and head of the Cypriot delegation, Ms Irene Charalambidou, in her address to the Standing Committee, referred to the current conflicts affecting the OSCE region. Ms Charalambidou expressed concern that for more than a year and a half, the war in Ukraine after Russia's invasion has been going on with no prospect of an early end, just a month ago, more than 100,000 Armenians were forced to flee Nagorno-Karabakh, while tension also threatens stability in the Western Balkans. Against this backdrop of geopolitical instability, Ms. Charalambidou said, Hamas' attack on Israeli civilians has sparked further conflict in the Middle East as well. Condemning the attack against Israel, Ms. Charalambidou noted that the protection of civilians must be a priority.
The OSCE CSO Vice-Chairwoman also said that the US, Canada, France, Germany, Germany, the Netherlands and other countries have sent military personnel and have requested to use facilities in Cyprus to evacuate their citizens from the Middle East region in case of a generalization of the current conflict.
In her intervention in a discussion on the current situation in the Middle East, Ms. Charalambidou noted that Cyprus has proposed the creation of a sea corridor for the provision of international humanitarian aid to Gaza. She noted that this proposal is supported by the UN, the EU institutions, Israel and Arab countries, as well as other countries that play an important role in the region. The broad support, Ms. Charalambidou noted, is an indication of Cyprus' ability to contribute to efforts to strengthen stability in a highly unstable region.
With regard to the role of the OSCE in the current crises, Ms. Charalambidou noted that the international organization's capacity for mediation should be strengthened. "If individual countries can play the role of mediator, then the OSCE should be able to assume this role."
Finally, she stressed that the OSCE should ensure that the value of diplomacy and multilateralism is felt in the lives of the citizens of the OSCE region.
Moreover, in her intervention in the section on the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly, Ms Charalambidou referred to a recent discussion in the context of an open dialogue at the UN on the role of women in international peace and security. She underlined that a key finding, which is also scientifically documented, is that the equal participation of women enhances the effectiveness and resilience of peace processes. Noting that the OSCE CSO, as a platform aimed at developing dialogue on peace and security, should also ensure equal participation of women. In this context, she indicated that she would also submit new amendments to enhance gender equality within the OSCE PA, and in her capacity as Special Representative on Anti-Corruption, she would continue consultations with delegations to finalise the draft text of a binding Code of Conduct.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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