Representing the Parliamentary Assembly at the Slovak Chairmanship’s OSCE-wide Counter-Terrorism Conference, Greek parliamentarian Makis Voridis spoke today on advances and progress in international co-operation in countering terrorism and the implementation of good practices in preventing violent extremism in the OSCE area.
Voridis highlighted the work of the OSCE PA’s Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism, which he chairs, noting that it plays an important role in promoting the full application of the global counter-terrorism framework. He emphasized the PA’s recently launched initiative calling upon all parliaments in the OSCE region to inquire with their respective governments on the status of implementation of existing commitments on border security and information sharing in the context of the fight against terrorism.
“With this project, we are shifting our action from international to national arenas, building on the oversight function of each parliament in a coordinated manner to push for the implementation of critical obligations stemming from United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2178 and 2396 – notably, the establishment of Advance Passenger Information, Personal Name Record and biometric systems – whose implementation still lags in many OSCE participation States,” he said.
He also spoke about recent developments and trends in the nature of the terrorist threat, with factors related to political extremism and disenfranchisement becoming more prominent, which he said requires a redoubling of efforts in enhancing and deepening co-operation at all levels.
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Voridis emphasized the resolution adopted unanimously by the OSCE PA during its 2018 Annual Session in Berlin entitled “Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism and Radicalization that lead to Terrorism,” which built upon key principles elaborated by the OSCE participating States and which now constitutes the basis for the work of the PA in this domain.
Voridis is holding a number of high-level bilateral meetings on the margins of the OSCE conference to strengthen key partnerships and seek new opportunities for enhanced co-operation. Notably, he met today with the UN Under-Secretary-General Vladimir Voronkov and UN Assistant Secretary-General Michèle Coninsx, as well as with representatives of the United Nations Office for Drug and Crime, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, and the 2020 Albanian Chairmanship of the OSCE.