Address of H.E. Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to the participants of the OSCE Permanent Counsel

"Kazakhstan is firmly committed to the fundamental principles and values of OSCE"

Address of H.E. Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to the participants of the OSCE Permanent Counsel, on the occasion of assuming by Kazakhstan the OSCE Chairmanship (Vienna, 14 January 2010)

Since independence, Kazakhstan is making a real contribution to strengthening regional and global security, and will continue to be firmly committed to the fundamental principles and values of the OSCE. Said President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev in his address to the inaugural meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna.

Historic decision of Kazakhstan was the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, a voluntary abandonment of the fourth largest in the world's nuclear missile arsenal and the complete destruction of its infrastructure. In 2009 at the initiative of Kazakhstan was adopted by the UN General Assembly resolution declaring August 29 - International Day of Action against nuclear testing.

"Kazakhstan is fully aware of its role as a responsible player in regional and global economic processes. Exporting to the world market significant volumes of hydrocarbons, our country is making a significant contribution to ensuring global energy security, including Europe. As a major exporter of grain and other food items, Kazakhstan is actively promoting the implementation of the UN Millennium Goals in addressing hunger and addressing food security in the world ", - noted the President.

The situation in the world makes it difficult exam, which Kazakhstan will stand as the country chairing the OSCE. "Erosion of the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, humanitarian and ecological disasters, famine, poverty, epidemics, reduction of energy resources, conflict along ethnic and sectarian grounds - this is not a complete list of challenges of modern human civilization, a struggle that requires a maximum effort from by such reputable multilateral institutions such as the OSCE ", - he said.

Kazakhstan President stressed that the most urgent problems, the need for solutions which are now facing the OSCE, have always been at the heart of Kazakhstan's foreign policy.

"In accordance with the OSCE traditions, we announce a motto of the acting chairmanship, which symbolizes identification of the chair-country. The motto of the Kazakh chairmanship will be four 'T' - Trust, Tradition, Transparency and Tolerance", the President said. He noted that the first 'T' means mutual trust. The second one is adherence to the OSCE principles and values. The third one - maximum openness and transparency in international relations, free of 'double standards' and 'dividing lines'. The forth 'T'- reflection of global trends on strengthening intercultural and intercivilization dialog, which obtains more significance in the modern world.

President Nazarbayev has proposed to declare August 1 - the date of signing of the Helsinki Final Act - the Day of the OSCE, as well as to convene the OSCE Summit in 2010 in honor of the 35th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, the 20th anniversary of the Charter of Paris and the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II.

In his speech, OSCE Chairman, Secretary of State - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Kanat Saudabayev declared priorities of Kazakhstan's chairmanship. He stated that Kazakhstan, as chairman of the OSCE, will seek to bring closer the positions of the participating organizations to the west and east from Vienna on the basis of principles of impartiality and balance, to enhance its role in improving security and enhancing cooperation in the area from Vancouver to Vladivostok. Astana will seek to focus on achieving the optimum balance of all three "baskets" of the OSCE. Such an approach would help to see problems in the complex, effectively confront not only the external manifestations of modern challenges and threats, but also to work with their sources of origin.

In particular, in politico-military dimension Kazakhstan will continue "the Corfu process" and will try to give new impetus to the OSCE efforts to stabilize the situation in areas of protracted conflicts and their resolution, development of international transport corridors, promoting tolerance and understanding. Astana intends to work actively with all partners to strengthen the OSCE Vienna Document 1999 and issues of post-war rehabilitation of Afghanistan.

In selecting priorities in the economic and environmental dimension, Kazakhstan has proposed themes on promotion of good governance at border crossings and development of safe and efficient ground transportation. According to Astana, it is necessary to continue work on migration and energy security in accordance with the ministerial decisions in Athens.

The human dimension remains a key theme in the agenda of the Chairmanship, and Kazakhstan will continue to support activities of the ODIHR, the High Commissioner on National Minorities, Representative on Freedom of the media. The holding in Astana on 29-30 June this year, the OSCE High Level Conference on Tolerance and Non-discrimination would make a worthy contribution to further enhance the interaction between different cultures and civilizations, the practical implementation of earlier decisions.

This year 15 OSCE member countries will hold presidential and parliamentary elections. Therefore Kazakhstan urged the ODIHR and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to coordinate their work and do everything possible to the process of monitoring the elections were to ensure objectivity and constructivism.