OSCE Chairperson-in-Office reiterates engagement with Afghanistan as key priority for Kazakh Chairmanship

ASTANA, 26 February 2010. The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, State Secretary and Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Kanat Saudabayev made the following statement on Afghanistan today: 

"I am pleased that in the last week OSCE bodies have seriously addressed the problem of Afghanistan. Afghanistan was the subject of a special debate at the Parliamentary Assembly, and it was the focus of discussions again yesterday at the Permanent Council. Many countries intervened to support the outcomes of the London Conference on Afghanistan held on 28th January, where I participated both as Chairperson-in-Office and as a representative of Kazakhstan, a regional neighbour of Afghanistan concerned with stability in Central Asia.

"Following the discussions, and in my capacity as Chairperson-in-Office, I would like to endorse the Communiqué of the London Conference which underlines the international community's continuing commitment to Afghanistan, highlights the importance of Afghan leadership, and recognizes the critical role of regional organizations, including the OSCE.

"Participating States highlighted in particular the value of OSCE training programmes for Afghan police and border security officials and the support of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) for the electoral process. They stressed the importance of implementing recommendations ahead of this year's parliamentary elections in Afghanistan. There was also support for exploring other possibilities for OSCE assistance for Afghanistan, including on countering drug trafficking and terrorism, as well as on good governance and gender issues. Afghanistan remains a key priority of our Chairmanship, and we hope this subject could become one of the most important matters to discuss at a proposed OSCE summit in 2010."