Austria supports Kazakhstan's OSCE chairmanship

12th January 2006 - Austria, the current EU president, supports the aspiration of Kazakhstan to chair the OSCE in 2009, according to Austrian ambassador Heidemaria Gurer in a statement yesterday following her meeting with Kassymzhomart Tokayev, foreign minister of Kazakhstan.

"We generally support Kazakhstan's wish to chair the OSCE," - she said adding "Kazakhstan must develop as a democracy because the OSCE chair must be developed in this respect."

In relation with that H. Gurer noted big progress in the development of Kazakhstan during the last few years.