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Addressing the plenary session of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS) in St. Petersburg on May 20, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) stressed the importance of building bridges between nations and between international inter-parliamentary organizations, welcoming the focus of the IPA CIS session on economic and environmental challenges, reports OSCE PA press service.

“There can be no doubt that to achieve global prosperity and security all countries should co-operate on issues of common ground,” he said.

Kanerva pointed out, however, that international efforts to strengthen ties are undermined when fundamental principles – including respect for territorial integrity – are violated. In this regard, he urged leaders to contribute to peace and stability in Ukraine.

The President also spoke about the ceasefire violations in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, saying that “the human toll of continued fighting has become intolerable.” He invited colleagues from the IPA CIS to join the Parliamentary Assembly in promoting a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the context of the OSCE Minsk Group.