Astana hosted OSCE Summit 5 years ago (PHOTOS)
It was namely Kazakhstan which could convene a top-level meeting of the heads of 38 countries and governments, one vice president, seven deputy prime ministers, 14 ministers and other high ranking officials from the OSCE member countries, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Representatives of 33 international and regional organizations, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Chairman of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Petros Efthymiou , OSCE Secretary General Mark Perrin de Brichambaut participated in the event too.
The Summit focused on the issues of security on the Eurasian and Euro-Atlantic spaces, the problem of Afghanistan, resolution of frozen conflicts and the objectives of the OSCE for the forthcoming period.
Astana Declaration was adopted following the forum. According to the experts, the consensus was reached due diplomatic efforts of President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The Summit was preceded by a three-hour Review Conference in Warsaw, Vienna and Astana during which the representatives of the civil society and governments evaluated the implementation of the obligations taken by Kazakhstan during its presidency in the Organization.
Nursultan Nazarbayev addressed the participants with a speech of welcome. The key moments of his speech were as following: - an appeal to the OSCE countries to back Kazakhstan's initiative to adopt the Universal Declaration on Nuclear-Weapons-Free World; - a reminder of that Kazakhstan had created a unique institution - the People's Assembly of Kazakhstan; an appeal to reach a synthesis of western values and eastern traditions; - an announcement of the start of formation of the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian Community, a unified and indivisible security; - a statement that the focus of the East-West project must be the establishment of relations among the European Union, NATO and Eurasia's CSTO. - a proposition on development of a program of economic regulation and peaceful life in Afghanistan; - an initiative on establishment of the OSCE Security Institute in Astana; - a proposition to increase the number of the OSCE baskets and institutes (introduction of a financial-economic security basket, energy security and economic interaction councils); - an opinion on importance of development of a reserve currency, elaboration of "Maastricht+" document for OSCE Maastricht Strategy; - an idea on elaboration of Water and Law program as well as establishment of the OSCE Ecological Forum which could assist in resolution of a number of problems, such as the Aral Sea shrinking or revival of the territory of the former Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site; - a proposition on negotiating the Comprehensive Eurasian Security Treaty; - an idea on establishment of a special OSCE forum on nuclear disarmament and nuclear weapons non-proliferation; The participants of the Summit highly evaluated the chairmanship of Kazakhstan in the OSCE, its organization and the results of the Astana Summit. For instance, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon emphasized the role of Kazakhstan and President Nursultan Nazarbayev in stabilization of the situation in Kyrgyzstan, its contribution to preservation of stability and security in Afghanistan. "I would like to praise the initiative of President Nursultan Nazarbayev on nuclear disarmament and nuclear weapons non-proliferation and the fact that he decreed to close the Nuclear Testing Site in Semipalatinsk. I would like to note that on the initiative of Nursultan Nazarbayev, we mark the International Day Against Nuclear Tests on August 29," Kazakhstanskaya Pravda newspaper reports citing Ban Ki-moon. According to the U.S. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton, the Summit in Astana proved that Kazakhstan played a huge role in international community.