OSCE Summit in Astana - key criterion for evaluating Kazakhstan's OSCE presidency success: R.Burnashev
ATY. October 7. KAZINFORM /Yekaterina Ionova/ The agreement of the OSCE member states to hold the Summit of the Organization in December 2010 in Astana was a breakthrough decision. This was a key criterion of how foreign observers estimated the Kazakhstan's OSCE presidency. Taking into account possible risks (such as non-participation of heads of a range of states), the fact of holding the Summit itself will play an important role in the evaluation of the success of our chairmanship.
Director on analytics and consulting of the Institute of Political Solutions Rustam Burnashev told a Kazinform correspondent on the first results of the Kazakhstan's presidency in the OSCE.
According to him, two groups of expectations are laid on Kazakhstan, as OSCE Chair - the foreign and the internal ones. The first supposes competent performance of a technical function of the chairman that is maneuvering between the most acute problems existing in the OSCE area along with the active provision of a dialogue platform on these issues. The internal expectations include positioning of stable tendency aimed at gradual adoption of the OSCE standards, firstly, in the field of the so called Third Basket - democratization and human rights.
"The tasks regarding the first group of expectations proved to be implemented. At the same time Kazakhstan has successfully used as minimum two circumstances. The first was the Global Summit on Nuclear Safety held in Washington where President Nursultan Nazarbayev offered a range of strategic initiatives in the field of nuclear safety and energy. And the second was the events in Kyrgyzstan in April 2010 where Kazakhstan, as OSCE Chair in cooperation with Russia and the USA initiated evacuation of Kurmanbek Bakiyev. This provided temporary reduction of tension", R.Burnashev said.
The diplomatic activity of OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Secretary of State - Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Kanat Saudabayev is satisfactory as well. "He managed to designate the interest of Kazakhstan in the main problems on the OSCE area that aret the protracted conflicts in Transnistria and South Caucasus as well as the situation in Afghanistan and strengthening of Afghan borders with Central Asian countries", the expert said.
However, according to him, the tasks regarding the second block of expectations have not become a priority yet and are out of the focus of attention.
"Without touching upon the subjective and objective reasons, I would say that this direction of development meets the expectations of so called middle class of Kazakhstan, which represents a reliable support of the political system of the country. In this regard, we can talk about the necessity of taking measures promoting its interests. In this context, it would be rational to initiate necessary activities, such as introduction of a local government at some levels", R.Burnashev said.