Office of OSCE media freedom representative trains journalists and press officers in Kyrgyzstan

SARYOY, KYRGYZSTAN, 8 September 2005 - Strengthening relations between State authorities and the media and increasing the access of civil society to official information was the aim of a training course organized by the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media in Saryoy, Kyrgyzstan on 7 and 8 September.

Nineteen government press officers, as well as local journalists, took part in the course which included lectures on legal and ethical principles of communications, and an overview of international and Kyrgyz media laws and practice.

"Interaction between journalists and government is key in a modern democratic society," said Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.

"It helps improve the transparency of the government, and results in increased public trust in both the government and the press."

Prior to the training course, Haraszti visited Bishkek, where he met with senior Government officials, including Foreign Minister Roza Otunbaeva, and several parlamentarians.

The course was part of an extensive training programme which will cover other OSCE participating States.