OSCE Chairman Minister Zbigniew Rau summed up his visit to Kazakhstan
02.06.2022
Today, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Zbigniew Rau concluded his official two-day visit to Kazakhstan. During his stay in Nur-Sultan, the chief of Polish diplomacy met with Kazakhstan’s highest authorities: President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, chairmen of the two chambers of parliament – Maulen Ashimbayev and Yerlan Koshanov, as well as with Acting Foreign Minister Akan Rakhmetullin. Minister Zbigniew Rau also met with Human Rights Commissioner Elvira Azimova and civil society representatives.
During the talks, Minister Rau reaffirmed the OSCE’s support for the ongoing reforms in Kazakhstan, including the constitutional referendum planned for 5 June. The head of the Polish MFA emphasised that the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan is engaged in supporting further reforms of the police and the judiciary, local governments, and strengthening the institution of the Human Rights Commissioner.
“The reform programme by the president of Kazakhstan includes at all its stages crucial improvements related to human rights, civil liberties and institutional responsibilities, in line with OSCE commitments,” said Minister Rau. He added that a concrete example of these are amendments to the constitution put forward for a nationwide referendum to be held this Sunday. Moreover, the head of the Polish MFA discussed the dynamic security situation in Central Asia.
While in Nur-Sultan, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Minister Rau also met with Minister of National Economy Alibek Kuantyrov, Minister of Industry and Infrastructural Development Kairbek Uskenbayev, and representatives of the Polish business community.
The visit to Kazakhstan was the first stop on Minister Rau’s tour of the Central Asian countries. In the days to come, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office will visit Uzbekistan and Mongolia.
Łukasz Jasina
MFA Press Spokesperson
