OSCE Chairman-in-Office: “Upcoming Referendum Is Going to Be Constitutional Breakthrough in History of Independent Kazakhstan”

Nur-Sultan, 1 June 2022 – First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Akan Rakhmetullin met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland Zbigniew Rau. 

The Polish diplomat is paying a two-day official visit to Kazakhstan as a part of his tour to Central Asian countries in his capacity as the Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). 

The parties discussed a wide range of issues of cooperation within the OSCE. During the conversation, Rau thanked the Kazakh side for supporting the Polish chairmanship. In this context, he noted Kazakh accomplishments in this area, adding that “the Astana Declaration remains a vital document in the evolution of OSCE”.

In turn, Rakhmetullin confirmed Kazakhstan's readiness to continue contributing to the work of the Organization, emphasizing the need to maintain a balanced approach to the implementation of OSCE initiatives in all three dimensions: politico-military, economic-environmental and human dimensions. 

Regarding the international agenda, the parties drew attention to the challenges that the Chairmanship-in-Office has to face due to the growing geopolitical tension in the region. In this context, the diplomats exchanged views on measures to restore confidence and strengthen cooperation in the field of security between the participating States of the Organization. 

The political transformation of Kazakhstan and the upcoming national referendum on amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan was a separate topic of negotiations. Rakhmetullin shared with the OSCE representative the experience and the main stages of the implementation of the reforms aimed at building the «New Kazakhstan» and shaping the «Second Republic». 

In his turn, Zbiegniew Rau noted that the direction of current changes in Kazakhstan deserves support from OSCE. In this regard, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office said that “the upcoming referendum is going to be a constitutional breakthrough in the history of the independent Kazakhstan.”

Voicing his backing for democratic reforms, he emphasized the importance of shaping an efficient system of local self-government, noting Poland’s readiness to continue sharing its remarkable experience in this area.

Touching upon joint work under the OSCE’s human dimension, the sides noted the relevance of collaboration within the context of Kazakhstan’s current membership in the UN Human Rights Council.

At the end of the meeting, the parties noted the effective multilateral cooperation between Kazakhstan and Poland and agreed to continue the meaningful dialogue along the entire spectrum of bilateral relations.