COPENHAGEN, 11 October 2018 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli (MP, Georgia) has appointed Austrian parliamentarian Roman Haider to serve as the Assembly’s Special Representative on Central Asia.

Roman Haider (centre) with OSCE ambassadors from Central Asia in Vienna, 25 Sept. 2018The position will help support the active participation of Central Asian countries in the work of the Assembly, encourage expanded parliamentary dialogue among countries in the area, promote the values of parliamentarism, and increase contacts with OSCE field presences and other organizations in the region.

“What happens in Central Asia is felt throughout the OSCE area, which is why this region has always been one of the Parliamentary Assembly’s top priorities. It is vital that we in the OSCE and the broader international community pay close attention to developments in Central Asia, and work to not only assist these countries in their democratic development, but also learn from the close co-operation they have developed in the region,” Haider said in accepting the appointment.

“I look forward to closely working with the Central Asian countries, with their parliaments and members of civil society, as well as with the OSCE governmental side in Vienna and of course the OSCE field presences in Central Asia, to promote more active engagement within the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly,” he added.

The Special Representative on Central Asia is mandated to:

• Encourage active participation by parliamentarians from Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), in the work of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to strengthen parliamentarism in the region;
• Liaise with and support the work of the OSCE field presences in the region, as well as relevant OSCE institutions, international and regional organizations and diplomatic missions;
• Encourage closer contacts between the parliaments in the region to promote greater intra-regional co-operation in all three OSCE dimensions;
• Report to the President of the Assembly on developments in the region, including opportunities for enhanced parliamentary dialogue and further inter-parliamentary co-operation among the Central Asian States.

Haider has been a member of the Austrian Parliament since 2008, where he serves as Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee and is a member of the Austrian-Central Asia parliamentary Friendship Group, among other responsibilities.

There are currently six other OSCE PA Special Representatives. Each holds a mandate pertaining to a specific issue within the Assembly’s work or to a specific geographical area represented in the Assembly. Click here for a full listing.