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Mr. President,
Dear Colleague Dora,
Secretary General of the OSCE,
Distinguished members of the Parliaments,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you very much for inviting me to open the Special Session of the Parliamentary Assembly.

It’s a great honour to welcome Members of Parliament from 56 member states from Vancouver to Vladivostok and from Vilnius to Valletta, the new description of the OSCE provided by my Maltese Colleague in Corfu. 

Hence, being fresh from the Corfu meeting, I would like to sincerely thank Minister Dora Bakoyanis for the splendid hospitality she provided to all of us there. 

I commend the main theme of Vilnius session “The OSCE: Addressing New Security Challenges”.   

The unique feature of the OSCE is its comprehensive approach to security - the approach which all of us shared in Corfu during our debates on the present and future of European Security.

Enhanced Euro-Atlantic security is our common interest. We remain open to discussing Euro-Atlantic security, including how we should address new threats and challenges. We believe this dialogue should include each and every participating state of our Organization. Differing perceptions of security should not preclude the search for common solutions, provided we remain committed to the shared values and principles of the OSCE.

The existing structures – NATO, the European Union, the OSCE and the Council of Europe – have proven to be the cornerstones of European security and stability for decades. It is our strong conviction that they are well set to remain such in the future.

Mr. President,

While speaking about the security of today, it is worth going back and reading the Istanbul Document, which was adopted 10 years ago.  It's main premise was that future threat to European security could come from tension between states or tensions within states -- and that the latter could lead to the former.  It was attempting to draw the lessons form the 1990s.
It is still a very modern document whose principles can help guide us today.  In a sense, we need to return to them.  Had we followed them, the war between Russia and Georgia last August might not have happened.

One of the key principles that document upholds is the right to equal security and the right of all participating states to choose their own security paths, including alliances.  That document firmly rejects spheres of influence.  It was a lesson we drew from the bloody history of Europe over the past centuries.  Those ideas belong to the core of the OSCE acqui as I see it.

Resolution of protracted conflicts, in our view, should remain a key priority.  We should ask ourselves where  the OSCE has done as good a job as it could in ensuring  these principles.  Why have our mechanisms failed?  Why were we unable to nip this conflict in the bud in advance and de-escalate? Why did the parties involved not come to the OSCE and ask for our greater involvement-- or use the mechanisms we offer?

The closure of the OSCE Mission in Georgia and the recent veto by the Russian Federation of the United Nations Mission in Georgia greatly diminishes the ability to use the available conflict resolution mechanisms .  I remain convinced of the urgent need to renew continued cross-dimensional OSCE and UN presence throughout Georgia, in particular for the benefit of the civilian population.

Mister President,

Let me also outline some aspects of the OSCE human dimension. Democratization, the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms, promotion of tolerance and free elections are the core commitments that all OSCE participating states have undertaken in this dimension. The acquis of this dimension should be consistently preserved and actively promoted in the whole OSCE area.

However, full implementation of human rights commitments remains a constant challenge. Some negative trends, such as increasing violence against journalists, call for resolute actions by our Organization. Therefore, I’m pleased to see the resolution on “Strengthening OSCE Engagement on Freedom of Opinion and Expression” debated in Vilnius.

The valuable relations between the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights should be underlined. I believe that the two institutions play a critical role in providing unique and necessary expertise on the issue of election-related activies. Our Organization is best served when we all speak with one voice and work together in the spirit of close cooperation and genuine partnership, on the basis of the 1997 Co-operation Agreement.

Lithuania believes that matters of transportation and energy security should be more prominent on the OSCE agenda. On a recent visit to Kazakhstan, I discussed the issue with Minister Marat Tazhin who presented some ideas regarding transport security. He also proposed hosting OSCE Conference on Tolerance , to which I gave my full support.

My country will Chair the OSCE in 2011.  To achieve our goals and ensure continuity in our Organization, we will work very closely with Greece and Kazakhstan in the troika format in 2010.

Mr. President,

I wish you and all the members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly a productive summer session and a pleasant stay in our capital. 

Thank you.