Delegation of Kazakhstan Took Part in the Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Porto

Porto, June 29 – July 3, 2025 - The delegation of Kazakhstan headed by the Chairperson of the Committee on International Affairs, Defence and Security of the Mazhilis of Parliament Ms.Aigul Kuspan took part in the 32^nd annual session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA). The event was held in the jubilee year of the 50^th anniversary of the adoption of the Helsinki Final Act – a fundamental document of the OSCE establishment.

Opening the summer session the President of the Portuguese Republic Mr.Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the President of the Portuguese Parliament Mr.José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, the President of the OSCE PA Ms.Pia Kauma, the UN Secretary General Mr.António Guterres and the Head of the Portuguese Delegation to the OSCE PA Ms.Paula Cardoso stressed the importance of adhering to the principles of the Helsinki Act, continuing dialogue and cooperation despite the unprecedented challenges and regional tensions in the OSCE area. In this context, the important role of parliamentarians in finding answers to contemporary challenges in the fields of security, economy, environment and human rights was underlined.

The special session included separate debates on the situation in the Middle East and the 50^th anniversary of the Helsinki Act, as well as reports by the OSCE Secretary General Mr.Feridun Sinirlioglu and the Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Ms.Maria Telalian.

Ms.Aigul Kuspan took an active part in the work of plenary sessions and general committees on all three dimensions of the OSCE PA. Following the discussions within the framework of the specialized committees, the final Portuguese Declaration was adopted, which reflects recommendations in the field of politics, security, economic and environmental issues, human rights, democracy and humanitarian problems.

The head of the Kazakh delegation also took part in a side event on the topic “Year of International Peace and Trust: Principles of Dialogue and Neutrality in Achieving Peace, Security and Mutual Confidence” organized by the delegation of Turkmenistan. In her speech, Ms.Aigul Kuspan pointed out the relevance of the OSCE Astana Declaration, adopted 15 years ago in the capital of Kazakhstan and calling for the creation of a common and indivisible Euro-Atlantic security community in the Organization’s space. In this context, the importance of continuing dialogue through diplomacy in overcoming current challenges was emphasized. The Assembly also hosted a meeting in the “Northern Europe + Baltic States + Central Asia format, where the parties discussed prospects for further cooperation between the three regions and exchanged views on regional agenda issues.

In addition, on the sidelines of the summer session of the Assembly, Ms.Aigul Kuspan held bilateral talks with parliamentarians from Azerbaijan, Albania, Algeria, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Cyprus, Lithuania, Norway, Mongolia, Turkey, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Sweden, Croatia, as well as with the head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

Following the annual session of the Assembly, the President, Vice-Presidents and other officials of the OSCE PA were elected. In particular, Mr.Pere Juan Pons (Spain) was elected as a new President for two years term. In addition, new Vice-Presidents were elected: Mr.Eugenio Zoffili (Italy), Ms.Lucie Potučková (Czech Republic), Mr.Gabor Hajdu (Romania) and Ms.Irene Charalambides (Cyprus).