OSCE Centre in Astana conducts training seminar on confidence- and security- building measures

ALMATY, 21 July 2010 - A three-day regional training seminar for military officers on the practical implementation of the Vienna Document 1999 on confidence- and security-building measures began in Almaty today.

During the event, supported by the OSCE Centre in Astana and organized in co-operation with Kazakhstan's Defence Ministry, more than 30 military representatives from Armenia, Belarus, France, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the United Kingdom will discuss the situation and developments in the field of confidence- and security-building measures (CSBMs), which are the focus of the Vienna Document 1999, and such aspects of their implementation as inspection procedures, experience exchange and the demonstration of weapons and equipment systems.

"The Vienna Document is a key OSCE document aimed at building trust and transparency in arms control among all 56 participating States of the Organization. We believe that open discussions and exchange of experience on regional security matters contribute to mutual understanding and facilitate better implementation of the Document," said Jeannete Kloetzer, Deputy Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana.

Bakhtiyar Syzdykov, a representative of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Defense, added: "One of the goals of Kazakhstan's OSCE Chairmanship this year is to strengthen the OSCE as a forum for dialogue. A positive result of the dialogue is a consensus decision on the mechanism to improve the Vienna Document 1999. It opened the way to update the Document and served as a catalyst for transforming the existing toolbox in the field of arms control."

The seminar will include theoretical exercises and a simulated inspection visit to the 35th Air Assault Brigade in the city of Kapchagai. The participants will conduct an evaluation in accordance with the provisions of the Vienna Document on compliance and verification, and produce a report summarizing their findings.

The Vienna Document obliges the participating States to share information on armed forces and military activities. It also contains provisions on compliance and verification, such as conducting and hosting inspections and evaluations, as well as on risk reduction, military contacts and co-operation, and prior notification of certain military activities. The national verification agencies are responsible for the practical implementation of the Document's provisions in the OSCE participating States.

The OSCE Centre in Astana has been organizing seminars on the Vienna Document in Almaty since 2007. The seminar is part of the Centre's long-standing efforts to raise awareness about CSBMs and promote regional security.