The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will prioritize the creation of a pan-European security architecture when Kazakhstan chairs the OSCE in 2010, a Kazakh envoy said on Wednesday.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev proposed drawing up a new pan-European security pact in June 2008, and Russia published a draft of the treaty on November 29, sending copies to heads of state and international organizations, including NATO.
"This is one of the priority tasks of our chairmanship - to try to work to ensure that talks are launched on the important theme of a new security architecture, and to ensure that they produce results," Kairat Abuseitov, Kazakhstan's ambassador to Britain, said at the Towards New European Security Architecture international conference in London.
He said Kazakhstan fully supports Russia's initiative and proposals, and aims to involve as many interested countries as possible in discussions on the draft document.
The Kazakh diplomat also said that the Russian initiative poses no threat to existing security organizations, and that the OSCE is the right platform for discussing the draft agreement.
Although Western nations say they are open to discuss the plan, diplomats have voiced concerns that it is an attempt to replace or weaken NATO, or limit the ability of nations to join the Western alliance without Russia's approval.
Last week NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Russia's security pact draft would be discussed more by the OSCE than by NATO.
The Towards New European Security Architecture international conference is being held in London and was organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the Valdai Discussion Club and Russian News & Information Agency RIA Novosti.
LONDON, December 9 (RIA Novosti)
