Security challenges discussed at OSCE Centre-supported conference in Astana

ALMATY, 23 October 2012 – More than 80 government officials, academics, diplomats and representatives of international and non-governmental organizations discussed the implementation of OSCE commitments reconfirmed in the 2010 Astana Commemorative Declaration at a conference in Almaty today.

At the event, speakers proposed ways to address various security challenges, and shared their thoughts about the provisions of the Astana Commemorative Declaration: Towards a Security Community as they relate to the politico-military, economic-environmental, and the human dimensions of security.

The conference included researchers from the Central Asian region, experts from the Centre for OSCE Research in Hamburg and Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, as well as the Director of the OSCE Secretariat’s Conflict Prevention Centre, Adam Kobieracki.

“In the coming years, we must make every effort to fulfill those tasks established by our heads of state and government, and reflected in the Astana Declaration of the OSCE Summit, to build an inclusive and comprehensive Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security community,” said Serzhan Abdykarimov, Chair of the Foreign Policy Analysis and Forecasting Committee at Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry.

Bulat Sultanov, Director of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, said: “During its 2010 OSCE Chairmanship, Kazakhstan clearly stated its firm support for the OSCE, expressing the opinion that the largest regional security organization in the world continues to play an important role.”

The OSCE’s Kobieracki noted that developing a security community remains a challenge: “Putting the vision from Astana into reality will require continued dialogue and engagement, based on inclusivity, mutual respect, tolerance, flexibility and patience.”

A compilation of the conference presentations will be published and widely distributed, including among OSCE institutions and participating States.

The conference was co-organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry and the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President.