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Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister: We Are Fully Committed to Strengthening and Developing OSCE
Kazakhstan is “fully committed to bringing a worthy contribution to strengthening and developing the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe” during its chairmanship in the organization next year, Kanat Saudabayev, the country’s Secretary of State – Minister of Foreign Affairs, said in Athens today.
“As chairman-in-office, Kazakhstan will be unwaveringly committed to fundamental principles and values of the OSCE, and proceed from the interests of all its members in order to strengthen the trust and mutual understanding between the countries to the west and to the east of Vienna,” Kanat Saudabayev said in his remarks at the plenary session of the 17th annual council of foreign ministers of OSCE which is taking place in the Greek capital on December 1 and 2. “We will seek to ensure the balance of all three baskets of the Organization’s activities,” he stressed, adding that Kazakhstan will act as an “honest broker” promoting active and constructive dialog with all partners based on the principles of trust, respect and mutual understanding.
The Secretary of State – Minister of Foreign Affairs praised the Greek chairmanship and its launch of a dialog on the future of European security within the so called Corfu Process. He expressed Kazakhstan’s readiness to build on the arduous efforts to promote this process.
According to Kazakhstan’s foreign minister, the OSCE should be relevant as an effective mechanism of regional implementation of universal international legal documents in areas such as maintaining military and political security, promoting conflict resolution and post-conflict rehabilitation, economic and environmental cooperation, and the protection of human rights and democratization.
Kanat Saudabayev specifically noted the need for the OSCE to counteract threats coming out of Afghanistan.
Noting some recent positive trends in relations within OSCE community in the past year, the Foreign Minister said it should be a common responsibility for OSCE member states to preserve and develop this positive trend so that a new epoch of partnership dawns on the OSCE.
It is given all that that Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev proposed to hold an OSCE summit next year, which will be a year of the 35th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, the 65th anniversary of the end of Word War II and the 20th anniversary of the Paris Charter for a New Europe.
“All of this gives a good reason to at least seriously analyze the modern role of the Organization in ensuring security and prosperity in the area from Vancouver to Vladivostok and developing the most important priorities for the OSCE for the near future,” the Foreign Minister said as he explained the reasons for the summit. The subjects for the summit could be pressing issues such as the future of the Corfu process and the creation of a single trans-Atlantic and Eurasian security architecture, and the rehabilitation of and assistance for Afghanistan.
Kanat Saudabayev added he visited Kabul recently, signing an agreement under which Astana will allocate 50 million dollars to educate more than 1,000 Afghans at Kazakhstan’s universities. “This way we would like to bring our own contribution to involving the Afghans in the peaceful life.”
He further explained that initial consultations showed support for the initiative to convene the summit from Italy, Russia, France, Spain, Turkey, Serbia, Slovenia, Belarus and other countries.
“We are convinced that today, 10 years since the Istanbul summit, a moment has come when the top leaders should at the highest level assess current challenges for our countries and define the priorities for the OSCE for the foreseeable future for the benefit of all members of our Organization,” Kanat Saudabayev said.
Kazakhstan formally assumes the one-year rotating chairmanship in the OSCE on January 1, 2010. The country’s foreign minister will then act as the OSCE Acting Chairman-in-Office.
Date of issue: 2009-12-01
