OSCE Centre organizes study visit to Luxembourg and Belgium for Turkmenistan parliamentarians

ASHGABAT, 9 June 2010 - Six members of Turkmenistan's Mejlis (Parliament) completed a visit to the Parliament of Luxembourg and will continue on to Belgium today as part of a five-day study trip organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, in co-operation with the Mejlis and the Parliaments of the two countries.

The trip aimed to provide parliamentarians from Turkmenistan with the opportunity to share expertise with their counterparts and strengthen inter-parliamentary contact among the OSCE participating States.

The Mejlis members had meetings at the Committee on Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Co-operation and Immigration, the Chamber of Deputies in Luxembourg and the office of the Luxembourg Ombudsman. The participants also had a chance to meet officials at the Justice Ministry, the Court of Auditors and the Constitutional Court, where they discussed the judicial system of Luxemburg and the role of the Court.

As part of the two-day visit to Belgium, the delegation will have several meetings at the Parliament to discuss the structure and work of the Belgian Parliament, and to share experiences. They will also meet the Federal Ombudsperson of Belgium.

"This is the fifth study visit organized by the OSCE Centre for Turkmenistan parliamentarians to other OSCE countries since 2007. These visits are very valuable, as they enable the parliamentarians to get first-hand information on the work of the parliaments and legislative processes, as well as law drafting techniques, mechanisms and procedures in other OSCE participating States," said Ambassador Arsim Zekolli, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

"We also hope that this visit will contribute to boosting inter-parliamentary ties between the parliaments of Turkmenistan and other OSCE countries."