OSCE Permanent Council No. 1568 - EU Statement on the Report by the Head of the OSCE Program Office in Astana, Alexey Rogov

The European Union welcomes back the Head of the OSCE Program Office in Astana, Ambassador Alexey Rogov, to the Permanent Council and thanks him and his team for their dedicated work. 

We value the Office’s programmatic activities across all three dimensions of security, which are implemented in close cooperation with the host country’s authorities. We appreciate the Office’s broad engagement with diverse local partners, including state institutions, the private sector, media, academia, and civil society. The growing number of requests from national institutions during the reporting period clearly demonstrates the high regard for the Office’s expertise. 

The recent visit of Secretary General Sinirlioğlu in April this year reflected the long-standing and mutually beneficial cooperation between the OSCE and Kazakhstan. We also welcome the continued constructive cooperation between ODIHR and Kazakhstan, highlighted also during the latest visit of ODIHR Director Telalian in April. Kazakhstan’s long-standing use of ODIHR’s legislative assistance serves as a positive example of engagement within the OSCE framework. Given the entry into force of Kazakhstan’s new Constitution on 1 July 2026, we believe the OSCE can continue to assist the authorities with the implementation of related reforms, in line with OSCE commitments.

We appreciate the activities carried out in the politico-military dimension, in fields such as border security and management, countering trans-national threats, cybercrime, confidence-and security-building measures, and security sector reform. The training of over 100 officers in open-source intelligence (OSINT) and the integration of advanced document verification methodologies into national border security systems are commendable achievements. We also welcome the Office’s practical activities related to the Vienna Document.

We support the Office’s robust engagement in strengthening good governance, combating corruption and money laundering, and promoting financial integrity. We also value the Office’s contributions to environmental governance, particularly in water management and transboundary water co-operation, which are essential for long-term sustainable development and climate resilience in Central Asia. We additionally welcome the initiatives on disaster risk reduction, including the development of an updated disaster risk reduction manual for middle-school teachers and students, which enhances community preparedness and resilience.

In the Human Dimension, we appreciate the work of the Office in the areas of rule of law, judicial reform, democratic governance and combating trafficking in human beings. We specifically highlight the return of 22 trafficking victims from Southeast Asia to Central Asia thanks to the regional co-operation facilitated through the Office. We encourage further progress in ensuring media freedom and appreciate the capacity-building initiatives for journalists. We look forward to seeing further improvements in the promotion and protection of human rights.

We further welcome the Office’s cross-dimensional initiatives on Women, Peace and Security agenda, the support for women’s economic empowerment and its targeted activities aimed at preventing gender-based violence.

Mr. Chair,

During last week’s meeting of the Cooperation Committee in Astana, the European Union and Kazakhstan reaffirmed their strong partnership, as well as their shared commitment to peace and the international rules-based order. The meeting underscored the positive momentum in bilateral relations, building on the visit of President of the European Council António Costa to Kazakhstan on 4 December 2025. The EU and Kazakhstan reiterated their commitment to continue and deepen their cooperation under the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. They also pledged to further strengthen their partnership in key areas such as political dialogue and rule of law; economic and trade relations; energy and transport; critical raw materials; and regional cooperation and security. EU remains Kazakhstan’s leading trading partner and its largest foreign investor.

Ambassador Rogov, we wish you every success in your work in Kazakhstan and ask you to convey our appreciation to your entire team at the OSCE Programme Office in Astana.

Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.