OSCE Chairperson pledges continued co-operation with Parliamentary Assembly, support for election observation

On 30 August 2013 the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Leonid Kozhara had a telephone conversation with President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Ranko Krivokapic. Leonid Kozhara reiterated a great importance that the Ukrainian OSCE Chairmanship attaches to the activities of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and stressed the readiness to continue close co-operation with this institution.     

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office specifically emphasized a key role of the OSCE PA in the international election observation in the OSCE participating States. Particular attention was devoted to observation missions of OSCE in the upcoming presidential elections in Azerbaijan and Georgia.  Minister Kozhara expressed support of the Ukrainian Chairmanship for the willingness of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to take an active part in observing these elections.   

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office confirmed his recent decision to appoint a Special Co-ordinator of the OSCE short-term observation mission for the upcoming presidential elections in Azerbaijan to be held on 9 October 2013. This decision was taken upon the proposal of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President.  In this connection Kozhara expressed his hope for an active participation of the OSCE PA observers in monitoring those elections.   

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office also said he intended to support a proposal of the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to appoint a Special Co-ordinator for a short-term OSCE observation mission during the Presidential elections in Georgia on 31 October 2013.