OREANDA-NEWS. February 16, 2009. OSCE Centre in Ashgabat celebrates the 10th anniversary. The Centre’s activities over these years show steady progress and positive development of OSCE-Turkmenistan cooperation

OSCE Centre in Ashgabat celebrates its 10th anniversary on February 16. The Centre’s activities over these years show steady progress and positive development of OSCE-Turkmenistan cooperation. Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat Mr. Arsim Zekolli gave an interview on this remarkable occasion.

“The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was one of the first international organizations which demonstrated intense interest in the Central Asian countries after they gained independence in early 1990s. In 1992 Turkmenistan and four of the Central Asian countries joined OSCE. After Turkmenistan signed the Helsinki Final Act – the OSCE fundamental document, Turkmenistan recognized the OSCE principles and general values and undertook the commitment to use them in practice.

“The Centre aims its activity at strengthening regional cooperation, enhancing border security, combating terrorism, illicit trafficking in drugs, weapon and human beings, laying the foundation for transition to market economy and raising public awareness on environmental issues, providing assistance in the democratization process, effecting legal reforms and guaranteeing the respect to the fundamental human rights and freedoms.

“The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat started working in January 1999. The Centre has the broad, open-ended mandate the implementation of which is aimed at providing assistance to Turkmenistan in transforming the OSCE commitments and principles in the specific policy.

“During ten years the Centre’s work was put on a large and wide scale to provide adequate assistance to meet the needs and priorities of the country. In collaboration with eth Government of Turkmenistan the conferences, seminars and training course on a wide spectrum of issues on a regular basis in the framework of all OSCE dimensions including the economic and environmental, human, politico-military aspects of security and stability.

“The Centre steadily expands its activity in the politico-military dimension to provide assistance to Turkmenistan in enhancing border security and border regime. Welcoming the decision of the Government of Turkmenistan to enhance efforts to combat illicit drug trafficking the Centre conducted a series of the advanced trainings for law enforcement officers on seizure and forfeiture of illicit drugs.

“Over ten years of its existence the Centre has substantially expanded its activity in the economic and environmental dimension. Along with the traditional fields of cooperation with Turkmenistan such as environmental protection, transition to market economy and development of small and medium businesses the Centre started implementing the projects concerning agriculture, railway transport and water resources.

“The Centre assisted in deepening the dialogue between Turkmenistan and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) that is proved by drawing the OSCE experts to monitor the presidential elections in February 2007 and the parliamentary elections in December 2008.

“The Centre offers its expertise in legal issues and the recommendations on application of the best international practices for specialists of the lawmaking bodies, courts, prosecutor’s offices, investigators, lawyers and law students thus assisting in implementing the legal reforms. The Centre offers the free consultations on legal issues for citizens of Turkmenistan, provides assistance in developing civil society and implements a number of the youth education projects.

“The Press and Public Information Section of the OSCE Centre which was opened in 2006, considerably extended the Centre’s work on raising public awareness of its activities. This section provides the information about OSCE and the opportunities of using computer equipment and internet and conducts roundtable discussions and presentation on various OSCE related activities.

“Summing up I would like to say that since Turkmenistan signed the Helsinki Final Act Turkmenistan and OSCE had made a great way. The Centre welcomes the recent steps Turkmenistan took particularly to open new opportunities to cooperate with the global community and enhance the dialogue and cooperation with the international organisations.

“Turkmenistan’s more active participation in the OSCE events overseas and the initiative to hold the preparatory conference for the 16th OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum in Ashgabat last March testifies to the country’s growing interest in cooperation with OSCE. Welcoming this positive tendency the OSCE Center expresses the readiness to extend its assistance to the country and sincerely hopes to continue fruitful cooperation with Turkmenistan in future.”