VIII session of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly opened

VIENNA. February 19. KAZINFORM /Kenzhebolat Zholdybai/ Opening ceremony of the VIII session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has been held today. Chairman of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Joao Soares, Chairman of the Australian National Council (Parliament) Barbara Prammer, Chairman of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly John Tanner, Acting Chairman of the OSCE Dora Bakoyanni delivered their speeches at the ceremony, Kazinform reports.

Special attention was paid to the necessity of building new European security, effective solutions in settlement of the situation in Afghanistan, topical issues of strengthening democracy, observance of human rights. Primary tasks of the OSCE in the world economic and financial crisis were discussed as well. As earlier reported, Kazakhstan was elected OSCE Chairman for 2010 at the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in December 2007. On January 1, 2009 Kazakhstan joined the OSCE Troika. Kazakhstan entered upon the chairmanship in the OSCE Mediterranean Partners Contact Group as well. Within the frameworks of its chairmanship in the Group, Kazakhstan intends to assist in the process of integration of Mediterranean countries with the OSCE, strengthening the dialogue and cooperation in three main directions of the security ? humanitarian, economic-ecological and military-political. In this regard, special attention is paid to the experience exchange in the sphere of strengthening confidence-building measures in the region, preservation of international and inter-confessional consent. Sessions of the Committee on Political Issues and Security, the General Committee on Economic Affairs Science, Technologies and Environment, meeting of Chairman of the Senate of the Kazakh Parliament Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev with the Chairman of the National Council of the Republic of Australia, official reception on behalf of the Australian Parliament for the Kazakh parliamentary delegation are planned to be held as well.