Hon. Pedro Roque, President of the 1st Standing Committee on Political and Security Related cooperation, participated in an official visit to Norway, at the invitation of Hon. Abid Raja, Chair of the OSCE PA Counterterrorism Committee.
The event gathered a large number of parliamentarians to learn about the horrific terrorist attacks suffered by Norway on 22 July 2011 that killed 77 people, to pay tribute to the victims, and to learn about Norway’s response to terrorism in the wake of the tragedy and the country’s ongoing counter-terrorism strategy, including the relevant legislative measures.
Norway’s response to terrorism in the wake of the 22 July attack has been characterized by national unity and a redoubling of the country’s commitments to democracy, justice and tolerance. A parliamentary inquiry into the incident produced recommendations on operational measures to prevent future tragedies, including strengthening emergency preparedness, improved law enforcement coordination and information sharing systems, and proposals for stricter weapon legislation.
The delegates paid a visit to Utøya island, the main site of the 2011 attack, as well as the memorial and learning center dedicated to the victims. The event also included meetings at the Norwegian Parliament, Norwegian Police Security Service, Ministry of Justice and Public Security, Norwegian Correctional Service Directorate, among other institutions.
Throughout the meetings, parliamentarians got a chance to exchange views, lessons learned and best practices with Norwegian MPs, senior government officials, municipal authorities, academics and civil society representatives on issues such as counter-terrorism legislation, prevention of radicalization and terrorist recruitment, rehabilitation of terrorists and foreign terrorist fighters within the correctional system, as well as the central role of victims of terrorism and their families in promoting justice and reconciliation in our societies.
Hon. Roque’s participation in the event comes in the context of closer cooperation between PAM and OSCE PA on the issue of counter terrorism. Last April, OSCE PA and PAM, together with other Interparliamentary Assemblies, co-organized a major conference on counter-terrorism in St. Petersburg, hosted by the IPA CIS. More recently, an OSCE PA expert contributed as a panelist to the first annual Coordination Meeting of the PAM Special Committee on Terrorism, in the high-level discussion held in Rome, on the state of implementing the Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record systems, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2396.