Press release

VIENNA, 27 October 2006 - The Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, Kassymzhomart Tokaev, urged the OSCE participating States today to back his country in its bid for the Chairmanship of the Organization in 2009.

Addressing the Permanent Council, the Organization's main decision-making body, he said the Chairmanship would give Kazakhstan "an excellent opportunity to contribute to safeguarding the peace and stability in the whole Eurasia".

"The OSCE is a major European organization where Kazakhstan is an equal and full-fledged participant. We represent Central Asia, which did not enjoy proper attention in the recent past. Fortunately, this region now is in the focus of the international community which is sincerely interested in making Central Asia more secure, stable and prosperous. We appreciate this goodwill, and would like to reciprocate while taking measures to promote reliable partnership," he added.

Outlining the priorities Kazakhstan would highlight if it were to get the Chairmanship, Minister Tokaev said his country was eager to contribute to strengthening the potential and efficiency of the OSCE, and that tolerance and non-discrimination would be on top of its chairmanship agenda.

"Countries East and West of Vienna face growing threats which are posed by international criminal structures," said Minister Tokaev. Organized criminal groups were involved in drug trafficking, money-laundering and trafficking in human beings, and international terrorist organizations were similarly involved.

"We must improve our strategy and tactics to efficiently combat this evil," he said.

The Minister expressed gratitude to countries that supported Kazakhstan's candidacy, saying: "We really appreciate this gesture of goodwill and understanding. Kazakhstan will never forget this support."

Speaking about some of the difficulties and misinterpretations in its bid for the Chairmanship, Minister Tokaev said: "We do not over dramatize them and are ready to continue consultations on the issues of common concern. Otherwise, it will create dividing lines in our Organization, which all of us, including Kazakhstan, are not interested in. Kazakhstan as well as all partners are interested in a stable, credible and strong OSCE capable of addressing the existing problems in the area of its responsibility, particularly in Central Asia."

The Minister said Kazakhstan wanted to be a genuine democratic country where the basic values and standards reflected in the documents of the OSCE would undoubtedly prevail. Kazakhstan had made a lot of progress, he said, "and therefore, in my opinion, is eligible to chair the OSCE in less than three years".

Another priority of a Kazakh chairmanship, according to Minister Tokaev, would be long-term security in Central Asia and Afghanistan. "The OSCE has to be part of international efforts to rehabilitate Afghanistan."

Minister Tokaev also said Kazakhstan supported the idea of drafting a convention which would turn the OSCE into a full-scale regional organization.

For a country to assume the Chairmanship, all 56 participating States must reach consensus.