Outlines of “New Kazakhstan” and challenges of Aral Sea discussed at OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

The delegation of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan is taking part in the summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA), which started its work in Birmingham.

During the meeting of the OSCE PA Standing Committee, the heads of the delegations of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Askar Shakirov and Sodiq Safoyev, put forward a Joint Statement of the parliaments of the two countries to the Organisation and its member states with an appeal to become donors in the implementation of projects related to saving the Aral Sea.

The document, which was distributed among the participants of the session, drew attention to the unprecedented reduction in size and salinisation of one of the largest enclosed bodies of water over the past 60 years. Every year, dust storms carry more than 100 million tonnes of salty fine dust, poisonous salt, and sand for thousands of kilometres, reaching the countries of Europe, the Japanese Islands and Antarctica. It is one of the causes of melting glaciers and rising sea levels.

The statement noted that the degradation of the ecological habitat caused a sharp deterioration in the health of the people of the Aral Sea region, which has the highest percentage of oncological diseases in Central Asia .

It was stressed that the scale of the ecological catastrophe requires the consolidation of efforts not only of the countries of the region, but also of the entire international community to find a comprehensive solution to problems linked to improving the socio-economic and environmental situation in the Aral Sea basin. The leaders of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Shavkat Mirziyoyev call for such an approach.

During the session, the Kazakhstan delegation hosted a side event themed “Creating a New Kazakhstan in a Changing World and Modern Challenges” which informed the parliamentary community about the key aspects of Kazakhstan’s domestic and foreign policy.

The members of the Kazakh Parliament presented comprehensive information to the audience about the ongoing large-scale political and socio-economic reforms initiated by the President of Kazakhstan; the results of the nationwide referendum on the amendments to the Constitution of Kazakhstan, which laid a solid foundation for building a “New Kazakhstan”. The focus was on strengthening the role of the Parliament, improving the electoral system, creating conditions for political competition, and developing human rights mechanisms.

The participants of the meeting showed keen interest in the information provided and supported the ongoing transformations in Kazakhstan.

The delegations of the Central Asian countries and Mongolia held a meeting with the OSCE PA Special Representative on Central Asia, Pia Kauma, which highlighted Kazakhstan’s position on regional cooperation and current issues on the international agenda.

Members of the Senate (upper chamber) Gumar Dyussembayev, Duissengazy Mussin, members of the Mazhilis (lower chamber) Aigul Kuspan, Aidos Sarym, as well as the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United Kingdom Erlan Idrissov are taking part in the session.