EU Statement in Response to Ambassador Ivar Vikki, Head of the OSCE Centre in Almaty

Finnish Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Permanent Council No. 633
2 November 2006

The EU warmly welcomes Ambassador Vikki back to the Permanent Council and thanks him for his thorough and interesting report. We find very useful both the overview of developments in areas relevant to the implementation of the Centre’s mandate and the information on specific activities of the Centre.

Recently the EU has had several opportunities to speak in the Permanent Council about its views on the situation in Kazakhstan with regard to implementation of all OSCE commitments, particularly human rights standards. On these occasions, while noting several positive developments, we have also drawn attention to a number of concerns. These are centred on freedom of the media, freedom of assembly, political pluralism, the legislation on and conduct of elections, and the need for judicial reform.

Ambassador Vikki’s report also points to these central areas, and we are pleased to note continuing cooperation between the Centre and the host country in this regard. We continue to believe that, provided that there is political will, the State Commission on the Development and Concretization of the Programme on Democratic Reform can be a useful tool for further strengthening democratic practices and institutions. Some of the reform proposals mentioned in the report appear promising, and we hope they will be adopted and implemented swiftly. In this connection, we welcome the news that in its first reading Parliament lifted a contentious article in the Election Law which restricts the right to freedom of assembly in the period between the end of election campaign and official announcement of the result. With regard to media freedom, we note that the new Media Law recently introduced to Parliament is judged by observers as a positive step forward. At the same time, we hope that possible amendments to the criminal code will not hinder any progress, which may be achieved through the anticipated adoption of a new media law.

We support the Centre’s activities in all three dimensions and welcome its close and constructive cooperation with Kazakhstan’s authorities and civil society as well as with other international actors. We are pleased to note that the Centre has an operational presence in both Almaty and Astana, giving it access to a broad spectrum of Kazakh society.

In the politico-military dimension, we take a particular interest in the further development of the Police Programme and in the efforts to help combat terrorism. We are pleased to note that the Centre is paying special attention to efforts to securing human rights while combating terrorism. We also welcome the mélange assistance project, which responds to a real danger to both humans and the environment.

We welcome as well the work of the Centre in the economic and environmental dimension, where a number of concrete projects are being implemented in important areas such as anti-corruption, combating money laundering, labour migration, enhanced public participation in the decision-making process and trans-boundary water management, among others.

In the light of the concerns mentioned earlier, the EU pays close attention to the Centre’s efforts in the human dimension. Alongside its longer-terms projects on implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), anti-trafficking, media and gender issues, which we support whole-heartedly, we note with satisfaction that the Centre has been able to be active on critical short-term developments. This is true with regard to its monitoring of the Sarsenbaiuly case, on which we note the questions raised in the report, as well as with regard to de-escalation of the tension surrounding demolition of houses in the Shanyrak district.

To conclude, the EU shares Ambassador Vikki’s assessment that developments in key areas, particularly in the human dimension, remain somewhat contradictory.  We consider that a potential for implementing further reforms has recently emerged. We hope that with the assistance of the Centre and other OSCE bodies, Kazakhstan will indeed push on with further reforms in the areas of human rights, democratization and rule of law. We wish Ambassador Vikki and his team continued success in their dedicated efforts.

The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia, EFTA country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this statement.

* Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process