Settings
Font settings
PT Sans
Times New Roman
Размер
A
A
A
Letter spacing
Standard
Enlarged
Large
Color scheme
Black<br/>on white
White<br/>on blue
House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus
The eighth convocation
Main / Press Office / News

Press Office

06 July 2021

On 6 July 2021, the delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus to the OSCE PA concluded its participation in the 29th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

On 6 July 2021, the closing plenary meeting of the 29th Annual Session of the OSCE PA was held.

Peter Bowness, the President of the OSCE PA, and Ann Linde, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Foreign Minister of Sweden, addressed the Assembly. Their presentations focused on strengthening multilateralism and inter-parliamentary diplomacy, the crisis in and around Ukraine, the conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh, Georgia and Transdniestria, the situation in Belarus, migration, economic and environmental security issues in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reports on the activities of the OSCE PA ad-hoc committees, special representatives as well as OSCE PA election observation missions were also presented to the Assembly members.

During the online elections to the leadership positions of the Assembly, Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden) was elected OSCE PA President for 2022. Roger Wicker (USA), Pia Kauma (Finland) and Reinhold Lopatka (Austria) took the posts of OSCE PA Vice-Presidents for the period until 2024, with the highest number of votes, until 2023 — Pascal Allizard (France), Daniela de Ridder (Germany) and Askar Shakirov (Kazakhstan), until 2022 — Irene Charalambides (Cyprus) and Kristian Vigenin (Bulgaria). The Head of the Danish delegation, Peter Juel-Jensen, was re-elected Treasurer of the OSCE PA. Members of the Committee on Political Affairs and Security elected Richard Hudson (USA) Chair, Costel Neculai Dunava (Romania) Vice Chair, and Laurynas Kasciunas (Lithuania) Rapporteur. In the OSCE PA General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment members elected Pere Joan Pons (Spain) Chair, Artur Gerasimov (Ukraine) Vice-Chair and Gudrun Kugler (Austria) Rapporteur. The Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions elected Sereine Mauborgne (France) Chair along with Vice-Chair Michael Georg Link (Germany) and Rapporteur Johan Buser (Sweden).

At the plenary session, consideration of draft resolutions on urgent issues prepared by the parliamentary delegations of the United States “Addressing the Rise in Hate, Intolerance, Violence and Discrimination Across the OSCE Region”, the Netherlands “The General Approach to Dissent in Belarus” and Ukraine “The Destabilizing Military Build-Up by the Russian Federation Near Ukraine by the Russian Federation Near Ukraine, in the Temporarily Occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, Ukraine, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov” was initiated again (after the rejection by the OSCE PA Standing Committee on 5 July 2021).

In accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the OSCE PA, majority of two-thirds of the Members of the Assembly (323 parliamentarians) may decide to place the proposals on the agenda of the Annual Session. Only 126, 122 and 124 parliamentarians took part in the voting on these issues, respectively. In violation of the Rules of Procedure of the OSCE PA, according to the results of the online voting, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly placed these issues on the agenda of the session with the results of 101 (USA), 82 (Netherlands) and 84 (Ukraine) votes, with the necessary 215. Following further consideration, these resolutions were adopted by the Members of the Assembly, gaining 100 (USA), 86 (Netherlands) and 78 (Ukraine) votes. Taking into account the Rules of Procedure of the OSCE PA, more than 162 votes were required for the legitimacy of this decision. Due to the violation of democratic procedures and the lack of a proper reaction of the OSCE PA leadership, the Russian and Belarusian delegations left the Assembly meeting in protest.

The event was attended by Members of the Belarusian delegation to the OSCE PA Andrei Savinykh (Head of the delegation), Valery Voronetsky, Svetlana Gorval and Denis Karas.


 


All news