Special Rep. for Central Asia Mariani meets Head of OSCE Centre in Bishkek

ISTANBUL, 30 June 2013 - OSCE PA Special Representative for Central Asia Thierry Mariani (France) met today with the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek Ambassador Sergey Kapinos on the margins of the Annual Session.

Amb. Kapinos briefed Mariani on the current situation in Kyrgyzstan and on the latest OSCE initiatives in the country. The OSCE PA Special Representative for Afghanistan, Michel Voisin, also participated in the meeting.

The OSCE, strongly represented on the ground, has a unique role to play in the Central Asian region which is reflected by the wide range of its activities in all three dimensions, Kapinos said. Participants discussed regional parliamentary contacts in Central Asia involving the OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the OSCE PA, commending the co-operation between the OSCE and the Kyrgyz Parliament.

Mariani informed the OSCE Centre about his plans to visit the country later this year, emphasizing that the OSCE parliamentary dimension can play an important role in promoting the objectives set by the Centre, such as the legal framework reform and public outreach.

This is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is comprised of 323 parliamentarians from 57 countries spanning, Europe, Central Asia and North America. The Assembly provides a forum for parliamentary diplomacy, monitors elections, and strengthens international cooperation to uphold commitments on political, security, economic, environmental and human rights issues.