Tom Harkin: “First, I want to thank my colleagues Senators Cardin and Wicker for their leadership in the OSCE. I was honored to join…”

“First, I want to thank my colleagues Senators Cardin and Wicker for their leadership in the OSCE. I was honored to join my colleagues Senator Cardin and Senator Wicker last week at the 23rd annual session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE, in Baku, Azerbaijan. It's important that Members of Congress uphold our shared interests and responsibilities in this vital organization, whose mission is to address issues of national and regional security, to promote mutual economic prosperity, and to improve the lives of citizens in all OSCE member States, especially through promotion of human rights. I was proud to be part of the eight-member delegation from the United States led by Senator Cardin, who is Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, our lead entity for participation in the OSCE. I congratulate Chairman Cardin and the U.S. Commission's co-chairman, Representative Chris Smith, on their accomplishments in advancing security and human rights last week. Chairman Cardin was able to pass a needed resolution holding Russia accountable for violating OSCE principles and its own international commitments through its destabilizing actions in Ukraine. And Representative Smith achieved passage of a key measure at the Assembly to help combat child sex trafficking. As my colleagues have stated, the OSCE and thus also the U.S.…”