During the meeting, Gulshara Abdykalikova noted the high level of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the OSCE, an ample evidence of which was the country’s chairmanship of the Organisation in 2010.
One of the main priorities of Kazakhstan in the OSCE for the coming years is to achieve the strategic goal of creating a Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian Security Community that was formulated in the Astana Declaration.
The parties discussed current state and future prospects of cooperation in a number of areas, including social and humanitarian development, providing the rule of law and human rights, harmonizing interethnic relations and gender equality.
Gulshara Abdykalikova stressed the importance of the OSCE Programme Office’s focus on priority areas of cooperation with due regard to the interests of Kazakhstan.
The Secretary of State said that on December 18, 2014, during a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, a decision was made to transform the OSCE Centre in Astana into the OSCE Programme Office in Astana starting from January 1, 2015.
Mandate of the OSCE Programme Office stipulates organisation of various projects in the politico-military, economic and environmental and humanitarian dimensions of security in cooperation with central and local government agencies of Kazakhstan.
In particular, the activities of the OSCE Programme Office involve security issues, including arms control, border management, fight against terrorism and trafficking in arms and drugs, as well as economic and environmental issues, human rights issues and the rule of law, the rights and freedoms of the media.
Following the meeting, the sides agreed to continue working together within the existing projects between Kazakhstan and the OSCE Programme Office in Astana.