Helsinki Commission Co-Chairman Cohen Pledges to Work with New OSCE Chairman-in-Office Zbigniew Rau

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Co-Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, better known as the Helsinki Commission, today expressed satisfaction with the newly named Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) the Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau at a hearing on "Poland's leadership of the OSCE in a time of crisis."

In his remarks, Co-Chairman Cohen asked the foreign minister about refugees from Belarus and Ukraine now living in Poland and said that he is less optimistic about how the massing of Russian troops on Ukraine's borders will turn out compared to witnesses who testified before the Helsinki Commission on Wednesday.

Co-Chairman concluded his remarks saying:

"You have to have hope because, if you don't have hope, the only answer is despair, and despair is never the answer…We're fortunate to have you as the Chairman, and I look forward to working with you."

See Co-Chairman Cohen's entire remarks here.

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