OSCE Informal Ministerial Meeting in Almaty focuses on Corfu Process progress, Kyrgyzstan, an OSCE summit

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 17 July 2010 - Security problems in the OSCE area, including Kyrgyzstan, dealing with current challenges through the Corfu Process and a decision on an OSCE summit are on the agenda of the informal meeting of foreign ministers that started in Almaty today.

Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev, addressing the meeting, said: "The OSCE must prove that it was effective not only in times of the Cold War, but that it remains an actively developing body, closely woven into the life of the modern global political and economic system."

"Conducting an OSCE summit in 2010, the year of the 35th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, will give a unique chance to demonstrate to the world community the evolution of the Organization from Helsinki to Astana."

Nazarbayev said a summit would promote a common vision "for Euro-Atlantic, Eurasian and world communities based on shared principles and values", help shape the post-crisis financial and economic system, foster tolerance and non-discrimination in the OSCE area, and enhance the international community's engagement with Afghanistan.

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan's State Secretary and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev said that based on the results of preliminary consultations, Astana could be the location of the next OSCE summit this year. OSCE participating States are expected to discuss this proposal in the near future.  

"Today's meeting is a possibility to enter a new level of our dialogue and to raise ourselves to a higher stage in ensuring united and indivisible security."

Saudabayev informed the meeting participants about the efforts of the OSCE Chairmanship to stabilize the situation in Kyrgyzstan in close co-ordination with international community, including "the process of agreeing on deploying a Police Advisory Group to Osh and Jalal-Abad provinces, on the request of Kyrgyzstan, in the nearest future".

President Nazarbayev also announced that Kazakhstan would give ten million dollars worth of emergency assistance to Kyrgyzstan, including materials for rebuilding houses and fuel.

The President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Petros Efthymiou, stressed the importance of the contribution that OSCE Parliamentarians can play in crisis situations, such as that in Kyrgyzstan. "The Corfu Process was an excellent start to bringing relevance back to the OSCE through dialogue. It is very important that focus has rightly moved toward strengthening the Organization's capacity for early reaction to evolving crisis situations," he said.

The Corfu Process is an OSCE-anchored dialogue on the future of the European security that was launched at the OSCE's first informal ministerial meeting, held last June on the Greek island of Corfu.

OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut said the Almaty meeting and the proposed summit were opportunities to renew the participating States' shared ownership of OSCE commitments, to address problems dividing states, including protracted conflicts and arms control, and to act on common challenges such as transnational threats, the situation in Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan.

"The participating States, under the guidance of Kazakhstan, have worked hard to identify problems and gaps of understanding. Steps have been taken to restore a sense of trust. The time has come to move to concrete action and step up the pace," he said.

Some 50 ministers and deputy ministers are taking part in the meeting.