Skopje, 4 July 2023 (MIA) - The summer session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) takes place at a time of great challenges for the Organization, for security and cooperation – our key values. In the conditions of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, our goal as OSCE Chairpersonship is to respect our obligations, preserve the functionality of the Organization and look for ways to restore the dialogue, OSCE Chairman-in-Office and FM Bujar Osmani said in a video address at the OSCE PA summer session in Vancouver, Canada.

“We will not compromise on these principles. Substantial dialogue can only be conducted in line with these principles and in accordance with international law. In this regard, we call on the Russian Federation for an immediate ceasefire. We stand united in support of Ukraine and the suffering Ukrainians and strongly condemn Russian war crimes,” Osmani said.

According to the press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Osmani thanked the parliamentarians for their work and their engagement in advocating for the rights of more than one billion people from the entire region for the OSCE. Only through direct participation and understanding of people's needs, he noted, we can encourage political will to overcome the current challenges.

“The war in Ukraine remains our top priority, but high on our agenda are all the protracted conflicts and instability in the OSCE region that directly affect people's lives. Therefore, it is extremely important to activate all mechanisms and capacities of the OSCE in order to support peace and cooperation,” Osmani said.

In front of over three hundred delegates of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, he once again presented the priorities of the North Macedonia’s OSCE Chairpersonship and asked for political commitment and initiatives that will jointly contribute to strengthening democracy and parliamentary diplomacy in the OSCE region.

Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs