NEWS RELEASE

Parliamentarians convene for Organisation for Security and Cooperation in
Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s 25th Annual Session

The 25th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will take place 1-5 July 2016, bringing together parliamentarians from across the Organization's 57 participating States at the ExpoGeorgia Exhibition Centre in Tbilisi. Held under the theme "25 Years of Parliamentary Co-operation: Building Trust Through Dialogue," the Session will commemorate the quarter-century anniversary of the Assembly's work.

The Annual Session, the largest event on the OSCE PA calendar, attracts policy experts, diplomats, representatives of international organizations and members of the media, in addition to the some 300 parliamentarians expected to attend.

Featuring keynote presentations by senior OSCE PA officials and several days of parliamentary debate in committee and plenary meetings, the Session is expected to culminate in adoption by majority vote of the 2016 Tbilisi Declaration. The Declaration will contain the Assembly's wide-ranging pronouncements and policy recommendations for the OSCE and its participating States in the fields of political affairs, security, the economy, the environment and human rights. The Declaration will then be sent to the foreign ministers of OSCE participating States and presented in national parliaments.

Canada will be represented by eight parliamentarians from the three official political parties in the House of Commons: the Honourable Hedy Fry, M.P., Head of the delegation and OSCE PA’s Special Representative on Gender Issues; the Honourable Senator Ghislain Maltais; the Honourable Senator Vernon White; Mr. John Aldag, M.P.; Mr. Luc Berthold, M.P.; Mr. Earl Dreeshen, M.P.; Ms. Christine Moore, M.P.; and Ms. Yasmin Ratansi, M.P.

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For information, please contact:

Ms. Josée Thérien, Association Secretary, Canadian Delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly – (613) 996-6075

Don McDonald, Executive Assistant to Hon. Hedy Fry, M.P., M.D. - (613) 995-9316 or
(613) 219-3306