Political Quotes

“I have the honor of being the Senate chair of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, and the ranking Republican Member is Senator Wicker. We join with our House colleagues in the work of the Helsinki Commission. I mention that because this past week, from June 28 through July 2, the 23rd Annual Parliamentary Assembly was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in which over 300 parliamentarians participated. We had a very strong representation from the Senate and the House of Representatives representing the United States. I was proud to join with Senator Wicker and Senator Harkin as well as Congressman Smith, Congressman Aderholt, Congressman Gingrey, Congressman Schweikert, and Congressman Schiff in representing U.S. interests. By way of background for some of my colleagues who may not be familiar, the Helsinki Commission is a U.S. participant in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. This followed up on the Helsinki Accords which took place in 1975, when all the countries of Europe--including the Soviet Union--joined the United States and Canada and agreed to principles that recognized the importance of good governance, human rights, and economic opportunities, as well as territorial security, in order to have stability within the OSCE participating States. The United States has been an active participant in this process.…”