OSCE adapts focus of office in Central Asia

VIENNA, 14 December 2000 - The OSCE Liaison Office in Central Asia (CALO) has been renamed the OSCE Centre in Tashkent by the OSCE Permanent Council today. This decision was taken in recognition of the change in focus of the Office in Uzbekistan.

The original focus of the OSCE Liaison Office in Central Asia, established in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in 1995, was to link the five recently admitted Central Asian countries of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan more closely to the OSCE. Since 1995, three OSCE centres have been established in those countries, which focus on close co-operation between the host country and the OSCE. The OSCE Mission to Tajikistan was established in 1993.

The OSCE Centre in Tashkent will promote the implementation of OSCE principles and commitments and the co-operation of the Republic of Uzbekistan within the OSCE framework. It will assist in arranging OSCE events and activities in the area and promote information exchange between OSCE bodies and participating States in Central Asia.

For further information, please contact the Press and Public Information Section of the OSCE Secretariat, tel.: (+ 43-1) 514 36 180 or e-mail: info@osce.org .