RECONSOLIDATING EUROPEAN SECURITY AS A COMMON PROJECT

1.Recalling the Helsinki Final Act, the Charter of Paris for a New Europe, the Charter for European Security, as well as the Astana Commemorative Declaration,

2.Bearing in mind all previous processes and strategic initiatives on the future of the OSCE and European security, in particular the Panel of Eminent Persons on Strengthening the Effectiveness of the OSCE, the Corfu Process, the V to V Dialogues, and the Helsinki +40 Process,

3.Acknowledging the crucial role of the OSCE in ensuring peace, security, and stability in the OSCE area,

4.Underscoring that more must be done to ensure full respect for, and implementation of, the OSCE core principles and commitments that have been agreed to by participating States in the politico-military dimension, the economic and environmental dimension, and the human dimension,

5.Considering that political dialogue is the preferable way of settling disputes and building mutual confidence and transparency among the OSCE participating States,

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly:

6.Expresses serious concerns about the security situation in the OSCE area as well as its neighbouring regions;

7.Underlines the enduring validity of the principles of the Helsinki Final Act, the Charter of Paris for a New Europe, the Charter for European Security and the Astana Commemorative Declaration in guiding relations among the OSCE participating States and the urgent need to restore respect for them;

8.Welcomes the recommendations of the Panel of Eminent Persons on European Security as a Common Project, mandated by the OSCE Troika in January 2015, that have been put forward in the interim report “Lessons Learned for the OSCE from its Engagement in Ukraine” in June 2015, as well as in its final report “Back to Diplomacy” from December 2015;

9.Calls upon all OSCE participating States to take the findings and recommendations of the Panel of Eminent Persons on European Security as a Common Project as the point of departure for substantial discussions on European security;

10.Requests the current German and future OSCE Chairmanships, in close co-operation with the OSCE Troika and the OSCE Secretariat, to prepare concrete proposals on how political discussions on European security can be further developed within the OSCE, with a view to restoring co-operative security in the OSCE area;

11.Stresses the need to intensify efforts to correct violations of and to fully respect and implement all agreed OSCE principles and European security commitments;

12.Urges all OSCE participating States to engage in a political process to rebuild confidence and restore co-operative security in the OSCE area.