OSCE Centre in Astana promotes regional confidence- and security-building measures

ALMATY, 20 May 2008 - Military co-operation and confidence-building measures between OSCE participating States are the focus of a regional workshop that started in Almaty today.

Participants at the four-day event, organized by the OSCE Centre and the Kazakh Defence Ministry, will review the implementation of arms control and regional security- and confidence-building measures aimed at contributing to stability and transparency in Central Asia.

"The confidence- and security-building measures developed within the framework of the 1999 Vienna Document contribute to a greater transparency, and help promote trust and confidence among OSCE participating States," said Jeannette Kloetzer, the Deputy Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana.

"Our goal is to support this process encouraging full implementation of the relevant commitments and promoting a secure and stable security environment at the regional level."

Bulat Sembinov, Kazakhstan's Deputy Defence Minister, added: "Kazakhstan stands ready to fulfill its international commitments relating to the whole spectrum of OSCE agreements and particularly the Vienna Document. This event is a good example of our readiness."

The workshop brought together military representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan as well as arms control experts from Belarus and the United States. It is part of an initiative of the Regional Arms Control Centre in Almaty supported by the OSCE Centre in Astana, and the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation.