Newsroom
OSCE Liaison Office in Central Asia celebrates 25th anniversary and the signing of Helsinki Final Act
TASHKENT 1 August 2000
TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN, 1 August 2000 - On 1 August 1975, 35 Heads of State or Government from Europe, the United States and Canada signed the Helsinki Final Act, laying the foundation of a new pan-European security arrangement under the name of Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE). Created as a negotiating framework between the countries of Western and Eastern Europe during the years of the Cold War, the Conference underwent considerable changes following the historic events in Europe in the late 80s and early 90s. In 1994, the CSCE changed its name to Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), reflecting the determination of the pan-European body to play a greater role in matters concerning European security. Today, the Organization has 55 participating States, including all five Central Asian States.
Over the past 25 years, the OSCE has made tremendous efforts to ensure that its norms, standards and commitments, enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act and other subsequent documents adopted at Summits and other high-level meetings, be implemented and serve as a guidance towards building a new Europe. The wide geopolitical area stretching from Vancouver to Vladivostok, the principles of indivisibility and comprehensiveness of security, the respect for equality among participating States through the rule of consensus, and other unique features have proved to be of a vital importance for achieving the Organizations' main goals.
The OSCE's field operations should be considered as its main instrument for preventive diplomacy and implementation of these goals. It is through its field operations that the OSCE has been undertaking actions aimed at strengthening peace and stability in its area, promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and assisting the host countries in building civil society based on the rule of law.
The 25th anniversary of the OSCE coincides with another event which marked a new development in the Organization's involvement in Central Asia. On 16 March 1995, the OSCE Permanent Council decided to establish in Tashkent an OSCE Liaison Office in Central Asia (CALO) with the mandate to facilitate contacts and promote information exchange with the Chairman-in-Office as well as other OSCE institutions and the OSCE participating States in Central Asia; establish and maintain contacts with local universities, research institutions and NGOs; promote OSCE principles and commitments as well as co-operation between countries of the region within the OSCE framework; and assist in arranging OSCE regional events, etc.
Since June 1995, when the CALO started working in Tashkent, it has helped organize OSCE seminars and round tables on regional security and confidence building, drug trafficking and crime prevention, regional stability, economic and environmental issues, and others. It also helped organize high-level visits to the region, and assisted in initiating a genuine dialogue between the OSCE and the Central Asian countries' leadership and large segments of the population, thus contributing to better integration of those recently admitted states with the OSCE community and system of values.
More recently, implementation of programmes and projects in Uzbekistan in all three OSCE dimensions, including security/political, economic/environmental and democratization/human rights, is at the core of the CALO activities. In close co-ordination with OSCE participating States and co-operation with other OSCE structures, the CALO has implemented concrete programmes and conducted training sessions aimed at promotion of the rule of law and democratic institution building, and increasing public awareness with regard to economic/environmental matters. The CALO has also elaborated concrete projects in the context of the security dimension.
At present the CALO has actively been involved in preparations for the UN ODCCP (Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention) and OSCE/Chairmanship sponsored International Conference on Enhancing Security and Stability in Central Asia: An Integrated Approach to Counter Drugs, Organized Crime and Terrorism. The International Conference is due to take place on 19-20 October 2000 in Tashkent.
It is the OSCE's firm conviction that the dialogue with the political leadership and large segments of the society in all Central Asian states, the concrete projects and programmes in the three OSCE dimensions, increased awareness of the Organization's principles and commitments have contributed to the regions' better integration in the OSCE community. The CALO's activities have helped better understand the newly independent countries' problems and concerns and take action whenever necessary to meet new challenges to security and stability in the region, in particular, in UzbekistanKhamid Alimdjan Sq., Western Side, 2-d Floor, Tashkent 700000Republic of UzbekistanTel.: (99871) 132-01-52, 132-01-56, 132-01-56Fax.: (99871) 120-61-25
Over the past 25 years, the OSCE has made tremendous efforts to ensure that its norms, standards and commitments, enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act and other subsequent documents adopted at Summits and other high-level meetings, be implemented and serve as a guidance towards building a new Europe. The wide geopolitical area stretching from Vancouver to Vladivostok, the principles of indivisibility and comprehensiveness of security, the respect for equality among participating States through the rule of consensus, and other unique features have proved to be of a vital importance for achieving the Organizations' main goals.
The OSCE's field operations should be considered as its main instrument for preventive diplomacy and implementation of these goals. It is through its field operations that the OSCE has been undertaking actions aimed at strengthening peace and stability in its area, promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and assisting the host countries in building civil society based on the rule of law.
The 25th anniversary of the OSCE coincides with another event which marked a new development in the Organization's involvement in Central Asia. On 16 March 1995, the OSCE Permanent Council decided to establish in Tashkent an OSCE Liaison Office in Central Asia (CALO) with the mandate to facilitate contacts and promote information exchange with the Chairman-in-Office as well as other OSCE institutions and the OSCE participating States in Central Asia; establish and maintain contacts with local universities, research institutions and NGOs; promote OSCE principles and commitments as well as co-operation between countries of the region within the OSCE framework; and assist in arranging OSCE regional events, etc.
Since June 1995, when the CALO started working in Tashkent, it has helped organize OSCE seminars and round tables on regional security and confidence building, drug trafficking and crime prevention, regional stability, economic and environmental issues, and others. It also helped organize high-level visits to the region, and assisted in initiating a genuine dialogue between the OSCE and the Central Asian countries' leadership and large segments of the population, thus contributing to better integration of those recently admitted states with the OSCE community and system of values.
More recently, implementation of programmes and projects in Uzbekistan in all three OSCE dimensions, including security/political, economic/environmental and democratization/human rights, is at the core of the CALO activities. In close co-ordination with OSCE participating States and co-operation with other OSCE structures, the CALO has implemented concrete programmes and conducted training sessions aimed at promotion of the rule of law and democratic institution building, and increasing public awareness with regard to economic/environmental matters. The CALO has also elaborated concrete projects in the context of the security dimension.
At present the CALO has actively been involved in preparations for the UN ODCCP (Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention) and OSCE/Chairmanship sponsored International Conference on Enhancing Security and Stability in Central Asia: An Integrated Approach to Counter Drugs, Organized Crime and Terrorism. The International Conference is due to take place on 19-20 October 2000 in Tashkent.
It is the OSCE's firm conviction that the dialogue with the political leadership and large segments of the society in all Central Asian states, the concrete projects and programmes in the three OSCE dimensions, increased awareness of the Organization's principles and commitments have contributed to the regions' better integration in the OSCE community. The CALO's activities have helped better understand the newly independent countries' problems and concerns and take action whenever necessary to meet new challenges to security and stability in the region, in particular, in UzbekistanKhamid Alimdjan Sq., Western Side, 2-d Floor, Tashkent 700000Republic of UzbekistanTel.: (99871) 132-01-52, 132-01-56, 132-01-56Fax.: (99871) 120-61-25