OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Autumn Meeting Andorra, 7 October 2026- 15.30 Secretary General Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu’s Speech
President Sampietro,
Prime Minister Espot Zamora,
Síndic General Enseñat Reig,
Secretary General of the OSCE PA Montella,
Honourable Members of Parliament,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a real pleasure to join you for the 2026 Autumn Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly. On behalf of the entire Organization, I wish to thank the authorities of Andorra for their generous hospitality. And for reminding us all of the enduring promise of the OSCE: that all countries across our region, no matter their size, have their stakes in the security of Europe. And have their voice.
This is the essence of the consensus principle and of inclusive dialogue, which are at the basis of the OSCE.
Excellencies, Members of Parliament,
We are too easily forgetting the fundamentals of our peaceful co-existence: common rules and open communication channels. These are the pillars of our collective security. The world has changed since we all agreed to them. But the need for them has not.
In times like these, with the war in Ukraine raging for years and causing devastating human consequences, and with escalation risks growing week after week, we cannot give up on fundamentals.
Instead, I fear our continent is sleep-walking into a cycle of escalation. This should not be another “March of folly”, if I may use the title of Barbara Tuchman’s famous book.
1 Such a prolonged and devastating war is gradually changing the way we think about war itself. We began seeing war as something that has no end. Escalation as the natural next step. And dialogue as something that can -and even should- wait.
This is how a psychology of war is taking hold. We hear comments that an open war between Europe and Russia is being increasingly discussed as a possibility, rather than as something to be avoided at all costs. This is very dangerous. We cannot and should not normalize the psychology of an all- out war across our Continent.
Words matter. They shape how we see the choices before us. And they can affect the space we leave for diplomacy.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Resisting this dangerous psychology of war requires genuine dialogue, not monologues. We all have a responsibility to keep channels of communication open. Where they have been closed, we need to find ways to reopen them. Urgently.
We cannot allow “war” and endless escalation becoming a natural state of affairs. In politics, there is no natural state of affairs: there are choices, and there are consequences. We cannot give up on diplomatic engagement. Doing so, would be our choice. Which would carry heavy consequences.
I belong to a generation that remembers war. And for decades, that memory served as a compass: war must be avoided at all costs. War is, as Pope John Paul II once put it, “an adventure with no return.”
Take the war in Ukraine. The human toll is intolerable. Families are being torn apart. Millions remain affected by the destruction caused by the war every single day. The humanitarian situation is deteriorating. Another winter is approaching. Continued attacks on critical infrastructure threaten critical access to electricity, heating, water and essential services for millions of people. We are also seeing increased airspace violations affecting neighbouring participating States, with increasing risks of miscalculation and further escalation. Maritime security is under threat. So is safety of navigation in the Black Sea. Food and energy security are at stake.
2 What more needs to happen before we collectively prioritize and support every diplomatic effort to de-escalate tensions, and create the conditions for a negotiated settlement to end the war? I welcome the renewed efforts undertaken by the United States and others in this regard. The OSCE stands ready to support and to mobilize all tools at its disposal.
Honorable Members of Parliament, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The OSCE was designed to deal with tensions in Europe. We developed arms control instruments and risk reduction measures to manage escalation and crisis. And thanks to those tools, the OSCE evolved into a unique security platform.
In the current volatile security environment, we need the OSCE and its tools more than ever. We need to rediscover those tools, and apply them, to reduce risks, rebuild transparency, and manage the current lack of trust.
This is where parliamentarians have an important role. You are in direct contact with the people you represent. You hear their concerns. You bring their perspectives into national political debates. And you can help keep political space for dialogue and diplomacy open.
The OSCE needs that connection. And the region needs your leadership: we cannot accept the prevailing psychology of war to take hold, we cannot accept war as a new normal, we cannot forgo diplomatic engagement.
Ladies and Gentlemen, dear friends,
In his 1748 treatise “Maxims”, the Andorran politician Antoni Fiter i Rossell advised his fellow people to keep the roads leading to Andorra in poor condition, to make invasion more difficult. While this advice may have been judicious in the 18th century, today, isolation is not the answer to solving our shared challenges. Diplomatic engagement is. In the current political climate in Europe, I know diplomatic engagement requires political courage. But it is the only sustainable choice.
Thank you.
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