Leader of the parliamentary delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE Jason Azzopardi and Gavin Gulia are attending the Annual Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE in Brussels, which opened yesterday and will take place till Friday.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE is the parliamentary dimension of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe with over 55 participating states as members.

The primary task of the 317-member assembly is to facilitate inter-parliamentary dialogue, which is an important aspect to meet the challenges of democracy throughout the OSCE area.

The main theme of this year’s meeting is “Strengthening Human Security in the OSCE Region”, which will be focused upon by the three general committees: the Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions; the Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment; and the Committee on Political Affairs and Security.

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Alcee L. Hastings opened the inaugural session, followed by Belgian House of Representatives President Herman De Croo, and Belgian Senate President Anne-Marie Lizin, and Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt. The Belgian Foreign Affairs Minister and Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, H.E. Karel De Gucht also addressed the session.

Parliamentarians will also take part in a meeting on the Mediterranean focusing on the promotion of cooperation with the OSCE Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation. During this meeting, delegates will hold an open debate on the prospects for the Fourth OSCE Parliamentary Forum on the Mediterranean, which is to be held in Malta in November.