News

On 5 January, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas had a telephone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Kanat Saudabayev and congratulated him on taking over the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Minister V.Ušackas wished his Kazakh counterpart success in strengthening the indivisible security across all parts of the OSCE space and stressed that as an OSCE Troika member from the beginning of this year, Lithuania was interested in collaboration for the good of this Organization.

“Lithuania will continue to closely cooperate with Kazakhstan in implementing important goals of the organization in the politico-military, economic-environmental and human rights areas,” Minister V.Ušackas said during the conversation.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, whose country chaired the Organization in 2009, is also an OSCE Troika member along with the Foreign Ministers of Lithuania and Kazakhstan.

Minister V.Ušackas thanked the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office K.Saudabayev, who has appointed Ambassador for Energy and Transport Policy Issues of Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Vytautas Naudužas as Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office on Transportation. Through this appointment, Kazakhstan assessed Lithuania’s experience in developing the international transport policy.

As OSCE Chair, Kazakhstan will seek to advance dialogue on future European security architecture, to stabilize the situation in areas of protracted conflicts, and to seek their resolution, develop international transport corridors, and promote tolerance and mutual understanding.

In 2011, Lithuania will chair this world’s largest regional organization, which joins 56 countries. In compliance with the order of 30 December 2009 of Lithuania’s Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, an interdepartmental working group for Lithuania’s preparation to chair and coordinate the chairmanship of the OSCE was established.