Kazakhstan in 2011 will be Chairing in the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), thus obtaining a unique chance to “build bridges” between East and West, director of the OSCE Department of the MFA of Kazakhstan Serzhan Abdykarimov said.In 2010 Kazakhstan is chairing in the OSCE, and in the next, staying in the ruling “OSCE Troika” (current, previous and future Chairmen of the organization), will lead the OIC.
“Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in the OSCE and the OIC will allow to synchronize the agendas of European and Asian organizations with more than 50 Member States in each. Geographic, political, civilizational situation of Kazakhstan itself makes it the mediator between East and West both literally and figuratively” – Abdykarimov said to RIA Novosti. According to him, peculiarities of the structure of such organizations as the OSCE and the OIC, their mandates allow for a dialogue on many issues –political, humanitarian and economic cooperation, combating terrorism, religious intolerance, gender inequality.
“Being the Chairman of the OIC in 2011, Kazakhstan will make efforts to include in the agenda of the organization these pressing issues, as well as Kazakhstan makes it as the OSCE Chairman” - Abdykarimov said. According to senior researcher of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan Raushana Serik, Kazakhstan needs to take advantage of the situation to implement the initiative of President Nursultan Nazarbayev on establishment of the new Eurasian security architecture.
“Kazakhstan will not be just “a translator from the eastern into the western language”, Kazakhstan raises the issues on immigrants from Muslim countries in Western European society, on gender equality, education of youth in the spirit of tolerance”, - she explained.
Expert of the Information and Analytic Centre on Study of socio-political processes in the post-Soviet space of the Moscow State University IAC named after M.V. Lomonosov Julia Yakusheva also believes that “Kazakhstan will be able to prove itself as an effective moderator in the dialogue of civilizations”.
She recalled that in Kazakhstan, where representatives of 130 nationalities live and several dozen of confessions co-exist, during the existence of an independent state was no significant ethnic or religious conflicts. “The experience of Kazakhstan on creation of an atmosphere of tolerance in the society, respect the views and behaviour of members of different nationalities, cultures and confessions would be beneficial to all members of the OSCE and the OIC”, - the expert of MSU IAC concluded.
Source: IA News-Kazakhstan
