OSCE Secretary General visits Kazakhstan, discusses Ukraine, challenges in Central Asian context

The OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier visited Astana from 27 to 28 April 2014 where he met with Speaker of the Senate of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov. Zannier was accompanied during his visit by the Head of the OSCE Chairmanship Task Force in the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs Heidi Grau.

The Secretary General paid tribute to the important of role of Kazakhstan within the OSCE, notably in spearheading the vision of a Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security community during Kazakhstan’s Chairmanship of the OSCE in 2010. “Within the current very difficult circumstances and the crisis in Ukraine, reconnecting with the spirit of Astana is a key challenge for the organization and the future of security and co-operation in Europe,” he said.

On Ukraine, both interlocutors expressed their grave concern and stressed that dialogue is without alternative.  They gave their full support to the OSCE’s efforts to contribute to de-escalating the situation. Senate Speaker Tokayev emphasized the role of parliamentarians, including within the context of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, in contributing to dialogue and confidence-building.

Other current challenges within the regional Central Asia context such as Afghanistan, water and energy security and co-operation on transnational threats were also discussed.

Foreign Minister Idrissov emphasized the need to pay more attention to the Eurasian space within the OSCE.

Zannier said he agreed with his interlocutors in Kazakhstan that relations between the OSCE and the country should be further developed in all three dimensions of security, including within the regional context of Central Asia, and within the wider framework of Kazakhstan’s ambitious long-term and comprehensive development strategy.