Kazakhstan to Assume Chairmanship of OSCE in 2010

Kazakhstan to Be the First Non-European Country to Hold Tthis PositionMADRID, Spain, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Government of Kazakhstantoday announced that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

(OSCE) has appointed Kazakhstan Chairman-in-Office (CiO) for 2010, withForeign Minister Marat Tazhin to serve as Chairman. The unanimous vote by the56 participating Member States was announced at the OSCE 15th OSCE MinisterialCouncil in Madrid, Spain."Kazakhstan accepts with a strong sense of duty and firm commitment the roleof Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE for 2010," said Minister Tazhin. "We seethis appointment as a testament to the transformation our country hasundergone since independence and as a strong vote of confidence by OSCE MemberStates for the Central Asian region as a whole. We congratulate Greece onreceiving the chairmanship for 2009 and Lithuania for 2011. Kazakhstan'srepresentatives look forward to engaging with the Greek CiO to assureKazakhstan's collaboration on all issues that come before the OSCE and to worktoward a smooth transition to our chairmanship.""This decision by the OSCE Member States is a firm acknowledgment ofKazakhstan's ability to lead this important regional organization at a timewhen the people represented by the 56 Member States strive for the politicalinvolvement, respect for rule of law and the rights of the individual,economic prosperity, and security. As Chairman, we will aspire to become apowerful catalyst of the reform process and we commit to the continuingmodernization of Kazakhstan and the region in its entirety."Minister Tazhin noted that during its tenure as CiO, Kazakhstan pledges tolead the Member States in upholding the principles of the OSCE and those ofthe Organization for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). ODIHRprovides valuable counsel to the national election commissions of all MemberStates on ways to comply with internationally accepted standards on elections.Minister Tazhin said Kazakhstan plans to work to assure that there is a clearunderstanding among all Member States on the criteria and standards thatshould be equally applied.Kazakhstan considers the Human Dimension to be the most important area ofactivity for the Organization, and has pledged to make this a priority inorder to strengthen democracy in all Participating States. Furthermore,Minister Tazhin also emphasized that religious tolerance is highly valued inKazakhstan, and that the country "enthusiastically supports the establishmentof the three CiO personal representatives on religious tolerance: forAnti-Semitism, Muslims and for Christians and Other Religions." In 2009,Kazakhstan will host the third Congress on World and Traditional Religions inAstana.Kazakhstan's leadership in establishing a vibrant, prosperous market economyunderpins its expertise in the Economic and Environmental Dimension. MinisterTazhin pledged that Kazakhstan will strengthen OSCE support for development ofeffective Eurasia transit and transport corridors. Concerning international security, Minister Tazhin stressed that the fightagainst international terrorism is the priority for Kazakhstan in the OSCE'sSecurity Dimension and that regional security will be enhanced throughKazakhstan's leadership. "Kazakhstan has already demonstrated its deepcommitment to international peace and security, having been the first countryto dismantle its nuclear weapons after the break-up of the Soviet Union," hesaid. "It knows only too well the health and environmental degradation thatcomes from nuclear contamination."Kazakhstan has been a member of the OSCE for 15 years, joining in 1992 - justa year after gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. It will bethe first non-European country in the history of the organization to hold theCiO position. SOURCE The Government of KazakhstanDenielle Sachs or Evan Welty of APCO Worldwide, +1-202-778-1000 (office),+1-202-415-3099 (mobile), dsachs@apcoworldwide.com, for the Government ofKazakhstan