The 23rd Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly opens in Baku
The 23rd Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, 28 June - 2 July 2014 at the Fairmont Hotel Congress Centre.
Hosted by the Milli Mejlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan, the Session will be held under the theme "Helsinki +40: Towards Human Security for All." All meetings will take place at the Conference Center of the Fairmont Baku Hotel and are open to the media. Nearly 300 MPs from more than 50 OSCE participating States are expected to attend.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Swiss President and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Didier Burkhalter, Russian State Duma Chair Sergey Naryshkin and Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada Deputy Chair Ruslan Koshulynskyi are all scheduled to speak at opening-day plenaries on Saturday, 28 June.
This year's Annual Session will also feature a special debate on "The Rise of Extremism, Radicalism and Xenophobia: Challenges for the OSCE Region" (Sunday, 29 June at 9:30 GMT), as well as a debate on the situation in Ukraine (Tuesday, 1 July at 10:00 GMT).
The largest event on the Assembly's calendar, the Annual Session will culminate in the adoption of the Baku Declaration, containing policy recommendations to the OSCE and its participating States in the fields of political affairs, security, economics, the environment and human rights. At the close of the Session, the Assembly will hold elections to its Bureau, choosing committee officers and several vice-presidents.
Before the plenary session on Saturday morning took place a meeting of the Standing Committee of the OSCE, which examined the procedural issues and approved the budget for 2014-15s.-06C--
Politics
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova has decided to unilaterally terminate the Moldovan-Russian agreement from 1998 on the creation and operation of cultural centers.
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By the order of the head of state, Rufat Mahmud has been appointed the new head of the historical and architectural reserve "Icheri Sheher" – the historic center of Baku.
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On February 13, the Appeal Court did not satisfy the defense's appeal against the decision of the Khatai Court regarding the arrest of journalist Shahnaz Beylargizi. According to the lawyer, the journalist herself did not participate in the trial due to poor health. The defense intends to submit a petition to replace the arrest with house arrest.
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Azerbaijan will limit 'Sputnik Azerbaijan' and 'BBC News Azərbaycanca' editorial offices. This was reported by the country's pro-government media on 13 February, citing an informed source.
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