President of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly visits Tajikistan

DUSHANBE, 1 May 2001 - From 29 April to 1 May 2001, the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) Mr. Adrian Severin traveled to Tajikistan as part of his official visit of three of the Central Asian participating States of the OSCE. It was the first visit of a President of the OSCE PA to Dushanbe in the history of relations between OSCE and Tajikistan.

During the visit, Mr. Severin met President Rahmonov, the Chairmen of both Chambers of the Parliament, the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, representatives of political parties, mass media as well as Ambassadors of the OSCE participating States and representatives of the international organizations present in Dushanbe. Mr. Severin was accompanied by the Head of the OSCE Mission to Tajikistan and briefed by the mission staff.

The aim of the visit was to evaluate the situation in Central Asia in general and in Tajikistan in particular, from the political, economic and security points of view. While it became clear that the Tajik authorities could and should take certain steps on a national level to address problems in these spheres, the visit confirmed the need to enhance regional cooperation as well.

Mr. Severin sparked the immediate interest of his interlocutors when he evoked a new OSCE PA initiative - the Trans-Asian Parliamentary Forum. Such a Forum, which would be organized within the framework of the OSCE PA, is designed to bring together parliamentarians in the OSCE region, as well as those from the Asian Partners for Cooperation, in order to discuss various developments in Central Asia.

During the discussions it was assessed that a certain progress in the development of political pluralism, democratic institutions and civil society had been reached in Tajikistan since the signing of the General Peace Agreement in 1997. President Severin recognized that the concerns of the Tajik authorities in the economic and security spheres were indeed justified, expressed the support of the OSCE PA, and recommended the continued constructive cooperation with the OSCE Mission to Tajikistan in addressing these issues. The hope was expressed that Tajik parliamentarians would also take a more active role in this area.

At the same time, Mr. Severin expressed the hope that the efforts of the Tajik authorities to address economic problems and security concerns would not come at the expense of further democratization. In this light, he encouraged political forces to further continue their efforts to strengthen democratic processes in Tajikistan. The President of the OSCE PA stressed the need to ensure that the Tajik population has the possibility to express their will through a pluralistic political system and with the use of independent media outlets. Mr. Severin noted that the existence of a constant dialogue among all political forces in the country offers the best guarantee against the rise of any form of extremism.

He also drew attention to the necessity of the further modernization of democratic institutions in Tajikistan as a prerequisite of the general welfare of the Tajik nation. "The progress of the State's modernization as well as the continuation of the political dialogue within a pluralistic, tolerant framework will increase the international community's interest in Tajikistan and will encourage it to mobilize the aid which the Tajik society needs", - said Mr. Severin, who expressed his gratitude for "the frank and constructive dialogue" he had with all his interlocutors.

For further information please contact Mr. Jan Jooren, Press Counsellor of the OSCE PA, e-mail: press.counsellor@oscepa.dk, tel. +45 33378040, fax. +45 33378030