OSCE Secretary General makes first visit to partner state Mongolia

ULAANBAATAR, 11 October 2006 - The Secretary General of the OSCE, Ambassador Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, made a two-day trip to Mongolia this week for talks with the country's President and other officials.

Ambassador de Brichambaut was the first OSCE Secretary General to visit Mongolia, which became an Asian Partner for Co-operation with the OSCE in 2004, joining Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Afghanistan.

"Mongolian officials expressed a strong determination to continue working with the OSCE toward Mongolia's voluntary implementation of OSCE's standards and values, and to reinforce and enhance its participation in our Organization," said the Secretary General.

Mongolia's government invited the Secretary General to visit the country in the year in which it is celebrating the 800th anniversary of its statehood. He held talks with President Nambaryn Enkhbayar as well as the Speaker of the State Great Hural parliament, the Foreign Minister and Justice and Home Affairs Minister. He also visited a police station in Ulaanbaatar.

"Mongolia has offered to host the OSCE's annual conference with the Asian Partners for Co-operation in 2008," the Secretary General said.