OSCE Chairmanship calls for new ways to combat security threats

LISBON, 20 November 2010 - Nursultan Nazarbayev, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which is chairing the OSCE in 2010, speaking today at the NATO Summit meeting on Afghanistan, stressed that to combat modern security challenges there needs to be a move from solely using military and police methods towards eliminating the sources of these challenges.

"Today the concept of European security goes far beyond the borders of continental Europe and encompasses the vast area of Eurasia," said Nazarbayev.

From the start of its OSCE Chairmanship, Kazakhstan has paid particular attention to Afghanistan, which is a Partner Country of the Organization and shares a border with three OSCE participating States.

Security in Afghanistan will be among the key topics on the agenda of the OSCE Summit.

"Helping the Afghan people to assume the responsibility for the stability in the country, transform their society from one plagued by armed confrontation into a productive society is the principal goal of the activities of the OSCE and the international coalition," he said.

"Today it is obvious that we cannot settle the problem only by military means. As the OSCE Chairmanship, we believe it is necessary to change the paradigm for combating these terrible challenges of the modern age, namely to switch the focus from methods involving the military and the police to eliminating the sources of these challenges."

"Just ten days after the end of the NATO Summit in Lisbon, Astana will host the first Summit in the new millennium of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, an Organization which plays a key role in ensuring Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security," said Nazarbayev.