WASHINGTON – Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) will hold a roundtable discussion with journalists on Thursday, November 29 at 12:30 p.m. at the Palacio Municipal de Congresos – Press Briefing Room (Madrid, Spain). Hastings plans to discuss, the challenges faced by election observers in the lead up to the Russian Duma Elections, Russia’s suspensions of the CFE Treaty, Kosovo’s status, Kazakhstan’s aspirations to chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the upcoming elections in Georgia.
Hastings is travelling on an official CODEL and is participating in the 15th OSCE Ministerial Council meeting taking place in Madrid, Spain. This event is being held at the invitation of the current Chairman-in-Office (CiO) of the OSCE, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos. The purpose of the meeting is for the Foreign Ministers of the 56 OSCE participating States to have the opportunity to fully review and access the Organization’s activities over the past year as well as offer national viewpoints on issues of security.
