Head of OSCE Centre in Astana hopes for further democratic reforms at conference on Chairmanship

ALMATY, 10 December 2010 - The Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana, Ambassador Alexandre Keltchewsky, said today he hopes that Kazakhstan's OSCE Chairmanship will boost Central Asian countries' commitment to further democratic reforms.

Speaking at a conference on the main achievements of the Kazakhstan's 2010 OSCE Chairmanship, held in Almaty today, Keltchewsky said Kazakhstan had guided the Organization politically throughout 2010.

"We hope that this post will boost Kazakhstan's commitment, as well as that of other Central Asian states, to continue further democratic reforms and adhere to OSCE values and principles, thus contributing to strengthening security across the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian area," Keltchewsky added.

The conference was organized by the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies and al-Farabi Kazakh National University with support from the OSCE Centre in Astana.

Government officials, local and international experts, representatives from diplomatic missions, civil society and academia and journalists took part in the event.

The participants discussed the OSCE's contribution to maintaining security and stability, facilitating the prevention and possible resolution of protracted conflicts, promoting tolerance and non-discrimination as well as strengthening trust and confidence among the organization's 56 participating States.

The conference is the last in a series of roundtable meetings, academic conferences, lectures and publications initiated in 2008 that raised awareness in Kazakhstan of the Organization's principles and commitments and supported the government in its Chairmanship role.