HR 222: Letter to the Chair from the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs - Kazakhstan's proposal for an OSCE Summit in 2010

Thank you for your letter 18 March on Kazakhstan's proposal for an OSCE Summit in 2010.

At the 2009 OSCE Ministerial Council in Athens, participating States noted Kazakhstan's proposal for an OSCE summit in 2010, and asked the OSCE Permanent Council to explore the extent of progress on the OSCE agenda to inform further Ministerial consideration. Work is in hand in Vienna on this. The Kazakh Chairmanship plans an informal meeting of OSCE Foreign Ministers, probably in mid-July, which is likely to address a prospective Summit as part of its considerations on the future of European Security.

I firmly believe that if a Summit is to take place, it should as far as possible address UK priorities. A key element here would be the OSCE's Human Dimension. We would be looking not only for a clear reaffirmation of the existing commitments of OSCE participating States, but also an update of these commitments, and improved means to assess and strengthen their implementation.

We would also be seeking coverage of the OSCE's Politico-Military and Economic-Environmental Dimensions, look to strengthen the OSCE's capabilities on conflict prevention and resolution; and update the Confidence and Security Building Measures last revised in 1999. There may also be scope for progress on OSCE activity in Afghanistan and on Energy Security.

An OSCE Summit would be preceded by a thorough review of OSCE activities, which would include consideration of how OSCE commitments have been implemented by member States. There would be scope within this process to address the issues identified by the 41 NGOs to which the FAC has referred.

We have strongly encouraged Kazakhstan to live up to the obligations that relate to both its membership and Chairmanship of the OSCE. Kazakh Foreign Minister Saudabayev told the Foreign Secretary on 8 January that Kazakhstan would remain committed to the fundamental principles of the OSCE. This was underlined in a statement to the Permanent Council in Vienna on 14 January, when President Nazarbayev pledged to "pursue further political liberalisation".

We have also encouraged Kazakhstan to co-operate closely with the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review earlier this year and will continue to emphasise the importance of a thorough response to the recommendations raised. Kazakhstan continues to participate in the human rights dialogues established under the EU's Central Asia Strategy, which supports good governance, the rule of law and human rights and to which the UK contributes views.

We and international partners will continue to raise issues of concern with the Kazakh authorities, both within and outside the framework of the OSCE, and urge them to press ahead with reforms. At the same time, we will continue to support Kazakhstan's efforts towards meeting its OSCE commitments and the challenges that it faces as chair.

David Miliband MP