Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde, will visit the OSCE participating States of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan from 11 to 15 April. The Chairperson-in-Office will also visit Turkmenistan virtually through a digital meeting with the Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan on 16 April, the OSCE said in a statement.

She will hold talks with Heads of state, foreign ministers and Government representatives and meet representatives of civil society. Talks will focus on strengthening the co-operation between the OSCE and the Central Asian countries and supporting the Central Asian participating States in fulfilling their OSCE commitments, including through the work of the OSCE field operations in the region.

Minister Linde will visit field operations in the countries, as well as the OSCE Academy in Bishkek and the OSCE Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe. The OSCE plays an important role in supporting the countries´ advancement in all three dimensions.

The focus of Linde’s visit will be to discuss the priorities of the Swedish Chairpersonship of the OSCE, such as upholding the OSCE’s concept of comprehensive security including joint OSCE commitments and regional co-operation. The Women, Peace and Security agenda and the meaningful participation of women in contributing to development, including women’s economic empowerment, will also be discussed during the visits