OSCEs Parlamentariske Forsamling 2020-21
OSCE Alm.del Bilag 13
Offentligt
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The President
To:
Heads of OSCE PA Delegations
Members of the OSCE PA Bureau
11 December 2020
Dear Colleagues,
Dear Friends
As you know, Georgia held parliamentary elections on 31 October 2020. The ensuing
political crisis has led opposition parties to refuse to enter parliament. Unfortunately, as a
member of this political alliance, I must follow this agreement and, as a consequence, I will
cease to be Member of Parliament from today.
It has been an honour to carry your voice as your President for the past three years, and
as a Vice-President for the five years prior. I want to thank you all for your friendship, for our
rewarding discussions and debates, the important decisions we have taken over the years, and
for your sincere commitment to the work and values of the OSCE. I also thank you for your
trust, your personal support, and your encouragements, which I have been privileged to enjoy.
Throughout these years, I have also been grateful for the excellent support and advice I have
received from staff at the OSCE PA International Secretariat.
I have conferred with Secretary General Roberto Montella in recent weeks to ensure
that a smooth presidential transition takes place. I would like to use this occasion to wish my
successor, Peter Lord Bowness, every success in guiding our Assembly until the Bucharest
Annual Session next July.
I am proud that over the past three years, we have continued to build honest and strong
collaboration with the other parts of our Organization. In Vienna, we continue to enjoy
excellent working relations with the Chairmanship and Delegations, the Secretariat and Field
Operations, as again demonstrated throughout this year by regular participation in virtual
events. Despite the current situation, we have forged stronger partnerships with the
Representative on Media Freedom, the High Commissioner on National Minorities, and the
Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. I am convinced that under their new
leadership, the OSCE PA will further consolidate these strategic partnerships to benefit all
OSCE citizens.
As President of this Parliamentary Assembly, it has been one of my goals to upgrade
the visibility of the Assembly, not only within the OSCE but also on the international scene.
_________________
Tordenskjoldsgade 1, 1055 Copenhagen K., Denmark
Phone: +45 33 37 80 40 - Fax: +45 33 37 80 30 - [email protected] - www.oscepa.org
 OSCE, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 13: Letters on the assumption of duties of Peter Lord Bowness as OSCE PA President
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The President
Today, we can rely on valuable working relationships with strong and credible actors in the
international arena, including the United Nations, European institutions, and our
interparliamentary partners. Our Assembly remains engaged throughout the OSCE region,
including through strong transatlantic ties and our excellent partnership with the U.S. Helsinki
Commission. Beyond the OSCE’s
borders,
we remain eager to extend our hands to Partners in
Asia and the Mediterranean.
In these times of pandemic, we have found innovative ways to remain active and
functional. Within the PA, we have opened new areas of work and expertise: our committees
continue their excellent work, while we can also count on Special Representatives dealing with
civil society, anti-corruption, or disinformation. I have aimed to promote greater gender
equality in our Assembly, including through these appointments, leadership for election
observation missions, or the filling of vacancies in the Bureau.
Together with
the International Secretariat and the Assembly’s leadership, we
have also
strived to update our Rules of Procedure and modernize the work of the Assembly in an
inclusive way. I hope this work will be completed soon with your support.
Overall, I believe that our Parliamentary Assembly is much better placed today to
contribute to the overarching goals of the OSCE, and that your time is used in a much more
impactful way. This has reinforced the standing of the OSCE PA as a unique forum for
principle-based dialogue and co-operation between our countries.
My presidency ends as our Assembly continues to deal with numerous challenges and
urgently needs to address global crises, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, armed
conflicts, growing threats to democracy and human rights, climate change, radicalization and
terrorism, and large-scale human migration. I encourage you to continue your hard work to
pursue our unfinished agenda and safeguard the fundamental values and principles of the
OSCE.
Even outside of parliament, you can rest assured of my full and unwavering support for
the work of the Parliamentary Assembly and the mission of the OSCE. Considering the
unprecedented leadership crisis that has affected our Organization during the second half of
2020, it remains urgent that we generate high-political interest in favour of the OSCE in all
participating States. To that effect, I encourage you all to
support our “OSCE Call for Action:
Reaffirming a Common Purpose,” which we presented on the margins of last week’s OSCE
Ministerial Council.
_________________
Tordenskjoldsgade 1, 1055 Copenhagen K., Denmark
Phone: +45 33 37 80 40 - Fax: +45 33 37 80 30 - [email protected] - www.oscepa.org
 OSCE, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 13: Letters on the assumption of duties of Peter Lord Bowness as OSCE PA President
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The President
I look forward to carrying on with our meetings and conversations in a different
capacity, and to assist you and my successors to achieve the goals for which we have fought
together as a team.
I wish you happiness and good health this Christmas and holiday season, and all the
best in the coming year.
Yours
sincerely,
George Tsereteli
_________________
Tordenskjoldsgade 1, 1055 Copenhagen K., Denmark
Phone: +45 33 37 80 40 - Fax: +45 33 37 80 30 - [email protected] - www.oscepa.org