OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger and the staff of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana meet with leaders of civil society, Astana, 10 October 2018.

Honouring two decades of the OSCE Presence in Kazakhstan was the central focus of an official visit by OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger on 10 and 11 October 2018 to Astana, where he met with the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, and parliamentary and ministerial officials. Secretary General Greminger participated in a conference marking the 20th anniversary of the OSCE’s field presence in Astana, held at the Library of the First President of Kazakhstan – Leader of the Nation. The event celebrated programmatic accomplishments in all three OSCE dimensions of security, the politico-military, the economic and environmental and the human dimension. The OSCE Programme Office in Astana supports the efforts of Kazakhstan’s government to combat violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism, promote sustainable development, foster a favourable investment climate and enhance the rule of law, human rights, freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief. The Secretary General also met with leaders of civil society in Kazakhstan, staff of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana and local journalists.