Parliamentarians from the Euro-Mediterranean region together with international organizations, high-level national officials, and top experts in the field of security gathered in Dubrovnik on 6 November 2018, for the parliamentary conference dedicated to “Building democratic security in the Mediterranean: common challenges, shared responsibility”.
The meeting was organized by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the Croatian Parliament.
The discussion focused on the role of parliamentarians in fostering “democratic security” which is a comprehensive approach rooted in resilient democratic institutions, independent judiciary, strong civil society, and robust freedoms of expression and association among others.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) was represented by the Head of the Croatian Delegation to PAM, Hon. Dragica Roščić, who addressed the meeting during the First Session dedicated to “Challenges to the stability in the Mediterranean”.
During this session the discussion centred on how to respond to a number of challenges, including combating terrorism, migration crisis management and human rights protection, and how to find solutions to ensure peace and prosperity for all Mediterranean countries. The participants agreed that despite the many threats in the Mediterranean there is a need for joint action in preserving peace and stability, because the security of Europe also depends on the security of its neighbouring countries.
In her speech Hon. Roščić focused on the conflicts in Syria and Libya, and to the long standing Israeli-Palestinian crisis, as the key sources of instability in the region. She further outlined the efforts of PAM to utilize parliamentary diplomacy to support the efforts of national reconciliation in Libya and Syria, which include constitutional reforms and inclusive and transparent elections.
On the situation in the Middle East, she further highlighted the valuable role of parliamentary diplomacy, which has allowed PAM to respond to a request for assistance by the UN, and facilitate the dispatch of medical aid to Gaza, by working with its delegates from Israel and Palestine.
She concluded referring to the challenges posed to the region by violent extremism, radicalization, returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters and Mass Migrations.