News

Sides of the political conflict in Kyrgyzstan should take into account the proposition from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to resolve the crisis, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis said on 8 April during telephone conversation with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev.

Minister A.Ažubalis was positive about the well-balanced statement of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, which stressed that the organization was ready to offer a unique platform for engaging in a political dialogue in order to resolve the crisis.

“Sides of the political conflict must take into account this proposition,” Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized.

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office announced that he dispatched Deputy Speaker of the Majilis (lower house of Parliament) of Kazakhstan Zhanybek Karibzhanov as his Special Envoy to Kyrgyzstan along with Herbert Salber, Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre.

Ministers K.Saudabayev and A.Ažubalis also discussed the forthcoming informal OSCE foreign ministers meeting in Almaty in mid-July.  The Foreign Ministers agreed to continue informing each other on the issues that are important for the OSCE Troika.

Kazakhstan’s current OSCE Chairmanship, Lithuania’s forthcoming Chairmanship for the next year, and the Greek Chairmanship of the organisation in 2009 comprise the OSCE Troika. Lithuania is constantly in touch with Kazakhstan’s OSCE Chairmanship, the Office of the Secretary General of the OSCE and the OSCE mission in Bishkek, and is actively aspiring for an effective assistance of international organizations in solving the conflict.

With the aim to return parties in political conflict onto the path of dialogue as soon as possible, Lithuania joined the invitation of EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton for all parties in conflict to refrain from the use of force, to stay loyal to democracy and to respect the laws of Kyrgyzstan. The arrests of opposition leaders have only led to an outbreak of violence.

Lithuania speaks up for discussing in detail the situation in Kyrgyzstan within the OSCE and the EU.