Access to information in focus of roundtable discussion supported by OSCE Centre in Ashgabat

ASHGABAT, 30 April 2015 – Promoting access to information and effective mechanisms for the accreditation of journalists were discussed at an OSCE-organized roundtable that concluded in Ashgabat today.

The two-day roundtable was attended by members of the Mejlis (parliament), officials from the Foreign Ministry, the State Committee for Television, Radio and Cinematography of Turkmenistan, the National Institute of Democracy and Human Rights under the President of Turkmenistan and the Ministries of Communications and Adalat (Justice) as well as representatives from educational and research institutions and national broadcast, print and online media.

They addressed international standards and national practices in promoting access to information, as well as effective mechanisms for the accreditation of local and foreign journalists

In his message to the participants, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat Ambassador Ivo Petrov referred to the Helsinki Final Act, which calls on the OSCE’s participating States to “facilitate the freer and wider dissemination of information of all kinds, to encourage co-operation in the field of information and the exchange of information with other countries.”

“The OSCE participating States committed themselves to safeguarding the right to information, which is essential for ensuring transparency and accountability of governments,” he said. “We believe this discussion will support the efforts of the Government of Turkmenistan in reinforcing its national legislation in addressing access to information in line with international standards and OSCE commitments.”

Two international experts elaborated on different types of information and principles of interaction with the legislative, executive and judicial bodies as well as the legal framework on access to information and the experiences of European and CIS countries in developing mechanisms for accrediting local and foreign journalists.  The roundtable participants exchanged views on the specifics of covering large-scale international events, including summits, sports competitions and performances.