The 9th fall session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has been continued today in Palermo.
Welcome speeches were made in the first day of the session by Francesco Cascio, President of the Sicilian Regional Assembly, Gianfranco Fini, President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Petros Efthymiou, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Alfredo Mantica, Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Raffaele Lombardo, President of the Sicilian Region, Riccardo Migliori, Head of the Italian Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
President Efthymiou said he hoped the Assembly's work on Mediterranean, which has grown steadily, will continue to grow, as it is an area of critical geostrategic importance. Despite occasional conflicts, he said, the area offers "possibility for significant development through the best use of business, scientific and cultural activities."
As part of the session, a Mediterranean Forum was held Friday featuring discussions on cooperation in economic and infrastructure sectors in the Mediterranean basin and cultural and environmental cooperation as an expression of the Mediterranean civilization.
Concurrently with the session, a conference has been held today on "The Fight against Transnational Organized Crime and Corruption".
The conference contained discussions on human trafficking, a look at the ten years since the adoption of the Palermo convention, and the fight against corruption. Participants included representatives of the National Anti-Mafia Bureau, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Transparency International, and Interpol.

 AzerTAc