OSCE Chairman's personal envoy for Central Asia Ahtisaari starts his first visit to region

BISHKEK, 24 March 2003 - Former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari started his first visit to Central Asia in his capacity as the Personal Envoy for Central Asia of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office (CiO).

On his way to Tajikistan, Mr. Ahtisaari had a stopover in Bishkek on Saturday, 22 March, and met Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Minister, Askar Aitmatov, and the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, Ambassador Aydin Idil.

Foreign Minister Aitmatov briefed the Personal Envoy of the CiO on recent developments in Kyrgyzstan and within the region.

During this first short visit to Kyrgyzstan, Mr. Ahtisaari showed keen interest in recent political and economic developments as well as the human rights situation. He praised the country's progress on its path of democratic transformation, mentioning particularly the activities of the newly-established Council of Democratic Security, implementation of constitutional reforms, regional co-operation, cross-border water management and the privatization process of small- and medium-sized enterprises.

The Personal Envoy of the CiO promised to return soon to Kyrgyzstan.