Skopje, 8 August 2023 (MIA) — OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani is beginning his Central Asia tour in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, as part of North Macedonia's OSCE Chairpesonship, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.

According to the release, Osmani will meet with top state officials in Uzbekistan before travelling to Kazakhstan.

He is set to meet with President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev; meet and give a joint press conference with Minister of Foreign Affairs Bakhtiyor Saidov; and meet with Senate Speaker Tanzila Narbaeva as well as with civil society members.

Osmani will also have a meeting with Uzbekistan's OSCE Project Coordinator office representatives.

From Uzbekistan, Osmani will travel to Kazakhstan, where he will meet with top government officials and visit the OSCE Programme Office in Astana to learn about the activities and projects the OSCE implements in Kazakhstan.

Osmani will meet with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu. A joint press conference will follow.

The foreign minister will also meet with representatives of Astana's civil society organizations.

"Central Asia represents one of the OSCE's priorities as it has faced constant challenges, now even more of them due to the consequences of the Russian Federation's military aggression against Ukraine as well as the situation in Afghanistan," the MFA wrote.

Osmani's visit to Central Asia reflects one of North Macedonia's OSCE Chairpersonship's priorities to provide support to the OSCE's field missions and their cooperation with Central Asian states, according to the release. mr/