OSCE Permanent Council session in Vienna to cover protracted conflicts' issues

January 12, 2010 - 21:12 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net -
The new OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan's Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev, will outline Kazakhstan's priorities for the Organization in 2010 in a speech to be delivered on Thursday in Vienna.

Saudabayev will speak at a session of the Permanent Council, one of the Organization's main regular decision-making bodies. Expected highlights of the address include giving new impetus to OSCE efforts to stabilize the situation in areas of protracted conflicts, and to seek their resolution; developing international transport corridors; and promoting tolerance and mutual understanding.

Before the speech, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev will address the Permanent Council in a videotaped speech.

Kazakhstan took over the one-year Chairmanship of the Organization on 1 January, succeeding Greece. Lithuania will follow in 2011.

OSCE

The world\'s biggest regional organization dealing with security issues, OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) unites 56 countries situated in North America, Europe and Central Asia.\r\n\r\nIts member state are: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France Great Britain, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Macedonia, Malta¸ Moldova, Monaco Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Roumania, San-Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United States, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vatican.\r\n\r\nPartner countries include: Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Marocco, Mongolia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia.\r\n\r\nArmenia became an OSCE member state on January 30, 1992.