OSCE co-operation with Afghanistan focus of meeting in Kabul

KABUL, 10 November 2008 - A two-day conference aimed at strengthening co-operation between the 56-country OSCE and Afghanistan and its four other Asian partner countries - Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Mongolia - concluded in Kabul today.

The conference, held in Afghanistan for the first time, was hosted by the Afghan Government.

"Afghanistan cherishes its partnership with the OSCE, and appreciates the Madrid Ministerial Council decision on OSCE engagement with Afghanistan," said Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta. "We applaud the OSCE Secretariat initiatives that strengthen border security and management, foster cross-border co-operation between the Central Asian participating States and Afghanistan, and enhance national law enforcement capacities in accordance with the Ministerial Council decision."

Ambassador Antti Turunen of Finland said that the 2008 Finnish OSCE Chairmanship considered dialogue with its Asian Partners an important aspect of the Organization's work and welcomed the success of that co-operation.

"Today's conference serves as a prime example of the relevance and importance of the
relations between the OSCE and its Asian Partners for Co-operation," he said, adding that the Organization was ready to consider any concrete and feasible proposals for further OSCE election assistance in Afghanistan next year. The OSCE sent Election Support Teams to Afghanistan for elections in 2004 and 2005.

Marta Betanzos Roig, Spain's Ambassador to the OSCE and Chairwoman of the Asian Contact Group, added: "To have had this conference in Kabul, focussing on Afghanistan but also on the broader security implications for the region of Central Asia is also of particular importance. This leads us back to the original idea of our forefathers of the Helsinki Final Act, who already in 1975 had the foresight to highlight the interdependence of security in the OSCE region and security in other regions, such as Asia."

The OSCE Secretary General, Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, said Afghanistan, which borders three OSCE participating States, had proved itself an active and committed OSCE Partner for Co-operation. Afghanistan became an OSCE partner country in 2003.

"Security in Afghanistan is inextricably linked to security in Central Asia, with which the country shares significant historical and cultural ties, and in the OSCE area as a whole," he said, noting that the Organization had, together with the Russian Federation, conducted counter-narcotics training courses for Afghan police officers, the latest of which concluded today.