OSCE holds emergency consultations on Kyrgyzstan, sends special envoy

ASTANA, 12 June 2010 - The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan's Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev, today held telephone consultations with the Head of Kyrgyzstan's Provisional Government Roza Otunbayeva, offered condolences for the loss of many lives in Osh, and expressed serious concern over the continuing violence.

Saudabayev also held today telephone consultations with the UN Secretary General Ban-Ki moon, the EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, whose country holds the rotating European Union presidency, Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, and Foreign Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu.

The situation in southern Kyrgyzstan was discussed in detail. Saudabayev announced his decision to send his Special Envoy, Zhanybek Karibzhanov, to Kyrgyzstan, as well as a senior official of the Vienna-based OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre. The UN and EU representatives also said that they were ready to send their own special envoys to Kyrgyzstan. The OSCE, the UN and the EU, which have already worked together in Kyrgyzstan in close co-operation with Karibzhanov, have agreed to further coordinate their efforts.

Karibzhanov is Deputy Speaker of the Majilis (lower house of Parliament) of Kazakhstan, and Chairman of the Kazakh-Kyrgyz inter-parliamentary group.

Saudabayev said that, since the beginning of the conflict, the OSCE Kazakh Chairmanship and Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev have been focusing on finding a solution to the crisis and today, in view of the present difficulties, stand ready to take all the necessary measures.