Supporting Ukraine and defending OSCE principles: UK statement to the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Ambassador Holland welcomed the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s support for Ukraine, condemnation of Russia’s violations and calls to release three illegally detained OSCE officials. The UK values the Assembly’s election observation work and contribution to defending OSCE principles and supporting a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Thank you, Chair.
Mr President, welcome back to the Permanent Council. Allow me to extend my warmest compliments on the successful first year of your tenure, in which the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) has continued to put focus on the key security challenges our region faces.
Crucially, that includes the OSCE PA’s activities in support of Ukraine, which, thanks to your personal commitment, remains at the forefront of the Assembly’s attention. As Russia continues its war of aggression and intensifies its attacks on civilians, energy infrastructure and Ukrainian cultural heritage, the PA has robustly, and rightly, condemned Russia’s violations of international law and OSCE principles, while demonstrating solidarity with Ukraine and its people.
In particular, we commend the PA’s efforts to raise awareness of the plight of three OSCE officials that Russia continues to illegally hold in detention. Russia’s treatment of Dmytro Shabanov, Vadym Golda and Maksym Petrov is unacceptable. We welcome the calls by Assembly representatives for their immediate and unconditional release and join those calls today. The UK will continue to support efforts to secure their freedom.
The Assembly’s contribution to election observation remains one of its most visible and valuable activities. We welcome its engagement in observation missions in support of the OSCE Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) this year, including in Kazakhstan, Armenia and Hungary, and the upcoming mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This work strengthens confidence in democratic processes and supports participating States in implementing their OSCE commitments.
Mr President,
The United Kingdom highly values the Parliamentary Assembly’s contribution to the OSCE and looks forward to continuing to work closely with it in defence of our shared principles and in support of a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.
Thank you.