OSCE Centres organize seminar for Central Asian students

ISSYK-KUL, Kyrgyzstan, 21 February 2005 - Over 50 students from all five Central Asian countries gathered today in Issyk-Kul for a seminar to promote better relations and friendly cross-border contacts among students in the region.

The five-day event, organized by the OSCE Centres in Almaty, Ashgabat, Bishkek, Dushanbe and Tashkent, is part of activities of the Central Asian Youth Network. Guest speakers include representatives of the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna and the Warsaw-based OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

During the seminar students will learn more about the OSCE, its principles and commitments, and discuss their research projects with experts and supervisors, as well as improve their presentation and writing skills.

The Network was launched by the OSCE Centres last year with the first 54 students graduating in November. During their studies they produced research papers, participated in a seminar and a conference in Uzbekistan, and engaged in an online discussion on the Network's website, www.cayn.net

The best student research papers from Network 2004 were published and distributed among educational institutions in the region. Similar activities are envisaged for this year's newcomers to the Network.