Statement by the Delegation of the United Sates of America in response to the Address by OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Wagramerstr. 17-19, 1220 Vienna, Austria Tel: (+43-1) 313390 usosce@state.gov Page 1 of 1 http://osce.usmission.gov United States Mission to the OSCE Response to the Address by OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pere Joan Pons As delivered by Chargé d’Affaires Kate Rebholz to the Permanent Council, Vienna January 22, 2026 At the outset, let me add – to those already expressed – U.S. condolences to Spain. President Pons, welcome back to the Permanent Council. The United States appreciates the Parliamentary Assembly’s desire to advance our shared principles. Parliamentarians have a crucial role to play in their implementation. We welcome the Assembly’s ongoing collaboration with OSCE institutions and structures. The OSCE was established to advance peace and provide a forum for cooperation and dialogue among nations that disagree. At this moment, when we are focused on restoring peace in Europe, our OSCE forum matters more than ever. But as the United States said at the Ministerial Council in December, the OSCE must reform in order to fulfill its mission of furthering security in Europe. We need support from the Parliamentary Assembly for these reforms, which will best position the OSCE to contribute to comprehensive security and prosperity in the region and prepare it to face current and future challenges. The OSCE’s Unified Budget for 2026 must include a reduction of at least fifteen million euros, an 11 percent cut from the 2021 Unified Budget total.  We need structural and programmatic reforms so that the OSCE focuses its work on pressing security issues in line with its core mandates. Resources should be spent on missions that support stability and peace, not conferences and reports. President Pons, we look forward to seeing you again soon for the Parliamentary Assembly Winter Meeting in February. We expect strong participation from the U.S. Congress. ### PC.DEL/43/26 22 January 2026 ENGLISH only The OSCE Secretariat bears no responsibility for the content of this document and circulates it without altering its content. The distribution by OSCE Conference Services of this document is without prejudice to OSCE decisions, as set out in documents agreed by OSCE participating States.