OSCE Studies Possibilities Of Assisting Central Asia In Combating Terrorism

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) intends to "study the possibilities of assisting the Central Asian states in fighting against international terrorism," said Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE and Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana. On Sunday he left for a two-day visit to Tashkent, where he intends to discuss with the Uzbek leadership the developments in Afghanistan. According to Mr. Geoana, in the aftermath of the September 11 events in the United States and the start of the military campaign against the Taliban, time has come to pay close attention to the East. During his talks with the Uzbek leadership, Mr. Geoana plans to address the issues of Tashkent's honouring its obligation to provide for human rights and tolerance in relation to religious and ethnic minorities. According to him, the international community will support democratic developments in the region. On the way from Tashkent to Moscow, where on October 23 he is scheduled to hold Romanian-Russian negotiations, Mr. Geoana will make a brief stop in Baku, where he will meet the head of the Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry.