Regional co-operation, parliamentary and elections topics discussed in Kazakhstan

ALMATY, 7 May 2001 - The President of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly, Mr. Adrian Severin, visited Kazakhstan as part of his official visit to three of the Central Asian OSCE participating States.

During his visit, Mr. Severin met with President Nursultan Nazarbaev, Prime Minister Kasymzhomart Tokaev, Chairman of the Senate (Upper House) of Parliament Oralbai Abdikarimov, Chairman of the Mazhilis (Lower House) of Parliament Zharmakhan Tuyakbai, Chair of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Zagipa Balieva, and with representatives of political parties and non-governmental organizations. Members of the OSCE Centre in Almaty accompanied Mr. Severin and the Centre staff also briefed him.

The general goal of the visit was to assess the situation in Central Asia in general, and in Kazakhstan in particular, from the political, economic, and security points of view. During the discussions, Mr. Severin stressed the need to address problems in these areas not only on a national level, but to increase regional co-operation.

On the topic of regional co-operation, the Kazakhstani interlocutors all responded positively to a new initiative of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: the creation of a Trans-Asian Parliamentary Forum. Such a forum, which would be organized in the framework of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, is designed to bring together parliamentarians from the OSCE region as well as the Asian Partners for Co-operation, in order to discuss various issues related to Central Asia.

During his visit, Mr. Severin also discussed ways to increase the role of Kazakhstan in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in particular, and in the OSCE in general. He encouraged the Kazakhstani authorities to work more closely with the OSCE Centre in Almaty and to seek ways to increase mutual trust in order to improve the effectiveness of the organization's work in assisting Kazakhstan.

Mr. Severin noted that Kazakhstan had indeed made significant achievements in maintaining stability during its years as an independent state, and recognized that the authorities of Kazakhstan were justified in placing a continued importance on economic development and security. The hope was expressed that the Parliament would play a greater role in addressing these issues. At the same time, it was recommended that the attention given to economic development and security not come at the expense of the further development of democracy and pluralism.

In this light, the ongoing Round Table on Elections process was discussed. It was stressed that the OSCE believes that the round table process is an effective means to begin to restore confidence in the political system following the flawed 1999 Parliamentary Elections and given recent attacks on members of the opposition.

Mr. Severin underlined that the OSCE will not blindly approve the results that the Round Table process produces. He stated that "any results, including changes introduced by the Parliament, must be considered in light of the recommendations contained in the final report on the 1999 Parliamentary Elections in Kazakhstan prepared by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. The OSCE must be prepared to assess objectively and impartially whether the results of the round table process sufficiently meet these recommendations."

Mr. Severin was pleased to learn that the Central Elections Commission intends to ensure that all recommendations of round table participants would be included in the final package to be prepared for review by the Parliament. In an effort to ensure that the result of the Round Table process would be as fruitful as possible, Mr. Severin encouraged all parties involved in the process to continue their participation and to send representatives at the highest possible level.

The President of the Parliamentary Assembly was pleased to note that the Kazakhstani authorities supported the possibility of linking the successful conclusion of the round table process to similar processes on other issues important to the democratic development of Kazakhstan, such as local self-government and political party legislation. Although these problems cannot be addressed in the framework of the current round table process, they are certainly critical to the implementation of an amended election legislation.

Overall, Mr. Severin was grateful to all his interlocutors for openly and honestly sharing their views and valued the opportunity to outline his approach as President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. "We intend to work as partners with Kazakhstan, not as teachers or judges, by taking into consideration specificities, in order to ensure prosperity and stability in Central Asia, which is a crucial factor for stability in the OSCE region as a whole," he said.

For more information, contact Mr. Eric Collings, Political Officer, OSCE Centre in Almaty, Tole Bi 480091, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan, tel.: +73272-621762, e-mail: osce@nursat.kz