COPENHAGEN, 21 April 2010 – The OSCE PA’s Special Envoy to Kyrgyzstan, Adil Akhmetov, accompanied the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan’s Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev, on a visit to Bishkek on 20 April to assess the situation and develop ways of overcoming the political crisis in Kyrgyzstan.

The OSCE delegation met the head of the interim government, Roza Otunbayeva, as well as other leaders of the interim government, political parties, NGOs, parliamentarians, heads of diplomatic missions of OSCE participating States, and the UN and EU representatives.

Mr. Akhmetov reported that the interim government has increasing popular support, including from members of the outgoing parliament and a wide variety of NGOs. He also said that the situation was still tense and that civil order has not been completely restored in some areas.

Mr. Akhmetov was optimistic that the interim government would move quickly to draft a new constitution and electoral law, and hold a referendum in the near future.

A member of the Kazakh Delegation to the OSCE PA, Mr. Akhmetov has been a member of the Kazakh Senate since August 2007. He is Secretary of the Senate Committee for International Relations, Defense and Security.