60 of the 250 parliamentarians gathered at the Winter Meeting in Vienna took the floor during the closing debate on the crisis in and around Ukraine. The debate opened with accusations and strong words from both the Ukrainian and Russian delegations. A great many countries voiced their unequivocal support for Ukraine. They also expressed regret at Russia’s protests of innocence and its claim to be playing an exclusively peace-enhancing role in international forums while military support for the rebel groups in eastern Ukraine is still ongoing.

“It is ironic that to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act (which marked the birth of the OSCE), the Kremlin has sent us a bloody invitation to its funeral,” said the OSCE PA Vice-President Vilija Aleknaite Abramikiene from Lithuania.

The Delegation from the Storting makes up part of the Nordic-Baltic Group. It emphasized the role of the Parliamentary Assembly in furthering dialogue and hastening a political solution to the conflict. It also stressed the view that taking a confrontational line was unhelpful. Several parliamentarians took the floor to support such an approach.

The Parliamentary Assembly’s three committees held separate meetings within their respective fields of expertise. The unstable humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine and minority rights in Crimea were discussed in the General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions. Russia’s responsibility for allowing humanitarian aid to get through and for protecting the human rights of minority groups in Crimea was clearly underlined.

The stream of refugees as a result of the conflicts in the Middle East and the unrest in North Africa was also debated in this committee.

“The stream of refugees affects the security situation in all OSCE member states, but certain recipient countries are having to bear a disproportionately high part of the burden. All countries must contribute and take their share of the responsibility for taking in refugees. At the same time, we must look to build up the long-term preventive and humanitarian aid capacity in the countries where refugees are coming from,” Kari Henriksen said in her speech.

The terrorist attacks in Paris and Copenhagen provided the backdrop for discussions in the General Committee on Political Affairs and Security. The members considered how to prevent terror through transnational collaboration. Radicalized youth and those going off to fight abroad were singled out as priority groups within the sphere of transnational security cooperation. The parliamentarians also underlined the need to strengthen and expand international collaboration to combat terrorist funding and organized crime networks in Europe.

In the General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment, energy security in Europe was the main issue under discussion. This committee was also primarily concerned with relations with Russia. Delegations from several EU countries stressed the need to implement an energy union within the EU, diversify energy sources and invest in renewables.

The Storting’s Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly comprised Geir Jørgen Bekkevold (Head of Delegation), Trond Helleland, Kari Henriksen, Tor André Johnsen, Kjell-Idar Juvik and Torill Eidsheim.