Kazakhstan Politics Roundup - June 30, 2008

politics

Kazakhstan Politics Roundup - June 30, 2008

By SRI ⋅ June 30, 2008 ⋅

Kazakh leader vows reform before taking OSCE chair
(Reuters) - Kazakhstan’s president promised the West on Sunday his country would pursue democratic change before its chairmanship of Europe’s main human rights watchdog in 2010.

What will Russia gain from Kazakhstan’s OSCE chairmanship
(Eurasia Daily Monitor) - As Kazakhstan’s long-awaited term of chairmanship of the OSCE draws near, Astana is stepping up its multifaceted ties with the West, disregarding the painful reaction of the Kremlin to any westward movement in Central Asia.

Central Asia: Western democracies enable ‘petro-authoritarianism” - report
(EurasiaNet) - Driven by “petro-authoritarianism,” the countries of Central Asia are thoroughly throttling democratization, according to an annual survey conducted by the watchdog group Freedom House.

Transparency is key item of OSCE PA session in Astana (Itar-Tass)

Kazakhstan stands for transformation of the OSCE into a powerful organization: President (Kazinform)

Kazakhstan welcomes European experience in regional integration - Nazarbaev (Interfax)