Kazakh President urges signing of Caspian stability pact

Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev has come out with a proposal to sign a Caspian Stability Pact. He made a statement to this effect when speaking at the Trans-Asian parliamentary forum currently held by the Parliamentary Assembly of OSCE in Alma-Aty.

In Nazarbayev's opinion, such a pact might well be based on all the parties' pledge not to use force in the Caspian region. According to the Kazakh President, the pact will necessitate creation of an effective regional antiterrorist organization in the area.

Nazarbayev pointed out that "we expect OSCE to play a more active role in the Caspian region". "OSCE's role ought to be more practical, specific and result-oriented in order to ensure effective regional security in Central Asia," the Kazakh President said.

He believes that at present there are "windows of vulnerability" in the region. Citing the major challenges to regional security, he mentioned such factors as international terrorism, extremism, trade in illicit drugs and their subsequent trafficking across Central Asian countries, and illegal migration.

The Trans-Asian parliamentary forum will be working in Alma-Aty on 7-9 June. The forum is held under the motto `OSCE Trans-Asian Dimension: Perpetual Security Link`. The event is attended by over 150 deputies representing 35 member-states of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.