Central Asian Youth Network participants learn about OSCE during visit to Vienna

VIENNA, Austria, 29 October 2010 - Seven Central Asian university students finished a three-day visit to Vienna today during which they learned about the OSCE and its work.

The students, who were selected for the trip to Austria on the basis of the quality of their research projects, were among the 40 who participated in this year's two Central Asian Youth Network seminars in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The students learned about the OSCE by attending briefings and observing a session of the OSCE's Permanent Council and participating in a roundtable discussion with Central Asian OSCE diplomats on security issues.

"The Central Asia Youth Network is a great way for future leaders to make cross-border contacts that they can build on during their professional careers," said Pascal Heyman, Deputy Director of the OSCE's Conflict Prevention Centre.

Bermet Mambetshaeva, a member of the student group, added:

"The visit to Vienna was a great insight into how the OSCE and international diplomacy works. It was an amazing experience for me to observe the work of the Permanent Council as well as to meet OSCE staff and discuss vital security issues."

The Central Asian Youth Network was launched in 2004 in Uzbekistan to enhance promising students' knowledge and understanding of contemporary security threats and the OSCE's role in responding to them. The group also aims to enable the students to network with peers from the region.

The OSCE Centre in Astana organized the trip with financial and logistical support from other OSCE field operations in Central Asia.