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OSCE parliamentarians adopt Baku Declaration

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  • OSCE parliamentarians adopt Baku Declaration

    OSCE parliamentarians adopt Baku Declaration

    15:26 02/07/2014 >> POLITICS



    The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has adopted the Baku Declaration,
    lending political support to wide-ranging policy recommendations for
    the OSCE and its 57 participating States in the fields of political
    affairs and security, economics, the environment and human rights, the
    OSCE PA press service reports.

    The crisis in Ukraine is among the document's central themes.

    The Declaration was adopted after 97 parliamentarians voted in favour
    and 1 against at the conclusion of the 2014 OSCE Parliamentary
    Assembly's Annual Session in the Azerbaijani capital.

    Nine OSCE parliamentarians abstained, including members of the Russian
    Delegation to the Assembly.

    In its 140 clauses, the Baku Declaration encompasses the resolutions
    of the PA's three General Committees -- the Committee on Political
    Affairs and Security; the Committee on Economic Affairs, Science,
    Technology and Environment; and the Committee on Democracy, Human
    Rights and Humanitarian Questions.

    Among its recommendations on political affairs and security, the
    Declaration "Express[es] grave concern about the situation in Ukraine
    and emphasiz[es] the role of the OSCE in engaging all parties in a
    constructive dialogue, monitoring and supporting the implementation of
    all OSCE principles and commitments on the ground, preventing further
    escalation of the crisis and promoting a diplomatic process towards a
    peaceful resolution to the crisis."

    It also calls on Russia to "reverse the annexation of the Autonomous
    Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine."

    The Declaration also advocates enhanced confidence-building measures
    in the military sphere, democratic control of countries' armed forces
    and a comprehensive assessment of cyber threats.

    In the sphere of environmental issues and economics, the Declaration
    calls for sustained work towards a new universal climate agreement,
    regulations to limit the risk of financial crashes, and steps to
    ensure the economic empowerment and property rights of women.

    It also "encourages the OSCE and its participating States to work on
    migration management to increase the benefits of migration while
    reducing its potential negative implications."

    The Declaration further focuses on the particular vulnerability of
    mountainous regions to climate change and natural disasters and
    supports initiatives to improve the efficiency of food production and
    water management.

    The Declaration also offers a diverse set of recommendations and
    pronouncements in the democracy and human rights sphere -- from
    "deploring" hate crimes against migrant workers to calling for a
    redoubled fight against anti-Semitism to raising the cases of specific
    individuals in the OSCE region.

    The Declaration "expresses concern at the misuse of administrative
    procedures and legislation to detain, imprison, intimidate or
    otherwise silence human rights defenders and critics in numerous OSCE
    participating States, including Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and
    the Russian Federation."

    It further "endorses the adoption by the Parliamentary Assembly of the
    Council of Europe of a resolution confirming the definition of
    'political prisoners.'"

    It also calls upon Ukrainian authorities to fully investigate all
    recent fatalities during the crisis in the country, and particularly
    in Odessa.

    The Declaration also asks the government of Turkmenistan to provide
    information on the status of persons who have disappeared in the
    country's prisons.

    Several paragraphs focus on Azerbaijan, the host country for this
    year's OSCE PA Annual Session, including an expression of "deep
    concern at the situation of Mr. Anar Mammadli" and other "citizens who
    have been victims of politicized court cases."

    Several supplementary items were adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly
    as an annex to the Baku Declaration.

    They include resolutions on the prevention and prosecution of child
    sex-trafficking, food security and limited water resources in the OSCE
    area and an item that "condemns the clear, gross and uncorrected
    violation of the Helsinki principles by the Russian Federation with
    respect to Ukraine, including the particularly egregious violation of
    that country's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

    The resolution, initiated by U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin, the Deputy
    Head of the U.S. Delegation, was the focus of an at-times heated
    parliamentary debate on 1 July.

    Source: Panorama.am

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