Foreign Minister Kanerva to visit South Caucasus

Press release 61/2008
21 February, 2008

The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva, will visit Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan on 25-28 February.

He will meet the three countries' presidents, foreign ministers and parliamentary speakers as well as with representatives of opposition parties to discuss OSCE-related topics, bilateral and international issues.

Elections also will be discussed, as all three South Caucasus countries will have elections this year. The OSCE monitored the 19 February presidential elections in Armenia. Georgia will hold parliamentary elections in May and voters in Azerbaijan elect a new president in October.

The Chairman-in-Office seeks to promote progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict resolution. The OSCE has a mandate to support the sides in their search for the resolution of these conflicts.

Minister Kanerva will use the trip to emphasize the importance of stability and democratic reforms and the role of the OSCE in supporting such development in the countries.

The so-called protracted conflicts erupted in the early 1990s as the Soviet Union dissolved.

Further information: Päivi Peltokoski, First Secretary, tel. +358 91605 6383, gsm +358 40 578 6096; Mikko Hautala, Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5332, gsm +358 940 8346 758

More information about the OSCE and the Finnish Chairmanship at www.osce.org(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window)