Amb. Sergey Kapinos meets with Special Rep. for Central Asia Thierry Mariani and Special Rep. for Afghanistan Michel Voisin.ISTANBUL, 30 June 2013 - OSCE PA Special Representative for Central Asia Thierry Mariani (France) met today with the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek Ambassador Sergey Kapinos on the margins of the PA's Annual Session.

Amb. Kapinos briefed Mariani on the current situation in Kyrgyzstan and on the latest OSCE initiatives in the country. The OSCE PA Special Representative for Afghanistan, Michel Voisin, also participated in the meeting.

The OSCE, strongly represented on the ground, has a unique role to play in the Central Asian region which is reflected by the wide range of its activities in all three dimensions, Kapinos said. Participants discussed regional parliamentary contacts in Central Asia involving the OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the OSCE PA, commending the co-operation between the OSCE and the Kyrgyz Parliament.

Mariani informed the OSCE Centre about his plans to visit the country later this year, emphasizing that the OSCE parliamentary dimension can play an important role in promoting the objectives set by the Centre, such as the legal framework reform and public outreach.