OSCE Centre organizes study visit to Sweden by Turkmenistan lawmakers

ASHGABAD, 29 September 2008 - Four members of Turkmenistan's Mejlis (Parliament) and a representative from the National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights have completed a study visit to Sweden.

The three-day trip was organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabad in co-operation with the Swedish Riksdag (Parliament).

"We hope this visit will support the large-scale legislative reform process in Turkmenistan, and strengthen parliamentary co-operation between Turkmenistan and other OSCE participating States," said Evan Tracz, Project Co-ordinator of the OSCE Centre.

The delegation learned about the structure and principles of work of the Riksdag, and met their counterparts from different parliamentary committees, the Parliamentary ombudsman and the Swedish OSCE Parliamentary Assembly delegation. They shared experiences on legislative processes and parliamentary work and learned about the election system used in Sweden. The delegation also visited the Stockholm County Council and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions where they discussed the Swedish system of local self-governance.

The visit was a follow-up to study trips to the French and German parliaments organized by the Centre in the last few years.