WASHINGTON—U.S. Helsinki Commission Chairman Senator Roger Wicker (MS), Co-Chairman Representative Joe Wilson (SC-02), Ranking Member Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), and Ranking Member Representative Steve Cohen (TN-09) today issued a statement marking the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act.
“On August 1, 1975, thirty-five countries – including the United States and the Soviet Union – met to sign the Helsinki Final Act, enshrining respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and human rights as a basis for relations among states. These principles provided an international foundation for the democratic aspirations of people throughout the region and contributed to the end of communism in Europe and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. We remain committed to them.
“Democratic nations that respect the rights of their citizens are less likely to breed instability, terrorism, and war and more likely to be partners for peace and prosperity. During the Cold War, members of Helsinki Monitoring Groups in the Soviet Union and across Eastern Europe sacrificed their personal freedom and in some cases their lives in the name of securing the liberties enumerated in the Helsinki Final Act for themselves and their descendants. This struggle continues in Ukraine today where ordinary people are fighting for their existence as Russia shreds the commitments it once freely agreed to.”
The Helsinki Final Act established a comprehensive and indivisible concept of security, encompassing political-military, environmental and economic, and human rights dimensions. The 35 signatory countries committed to ten fundamental principles that undergird the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the largest regional security organization in the world. The OSCE is a forum to advance hard security, democratic governance, and economic prosperity. While the Soviet Union originally proposed creating the OSCE as a European institution to marginalize U.S. influence on the continent, robust participation by the United States has ensured that U.S. interests are considered and prioritized in Europe’s approach to transatlantic security.
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