Secretary General Altynbek Mamaiusupov attended the Eighteenth Winter Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCEPA) took place on 21-22 February 2019 in Vienna, at the OSCE Headquarters in Hofburg Palace.

Within the Winter Meeting’s framework, Secretary General met with members of the delegations of the TURKPA member countries to the OSCEPA. Mr. Mamaiusupov had also meeting with Ms. Svetlana Artikova, Vice Chairperson of Senate of the Oliy Majilis (Parliament) of Uzbekistan and head of the Uzbekistani delegation to the OSCEPA. Secretary General briefed the Uzbek Vice Chairperson about activities, goals and objectives of TURKPA, having noted about intensifying relations between the Assembly and Uzbekistan that was marked with participation of a high-level Uzbekistani delegation in the last Plenary Sessions. Secretary General emphasized that the full-fledged involvement of the Oliy Majilis in the work of TURKPA would strengthen Turkic inter-parliamentary platform at multilateral level. In this context, he has also invited Uzbek parliamentarians to visit the TURKPA Secretariat in order to be closely familiarized with work of the organization on the ground. Ms. Artikova, in her turn, thanked Secretary General for the invitation and given information and added that the Parliament of Uzbekistan studies the possibilities of its close cooperation with TURKPA.

The Winter Meeting was addressed by President of the Austrian National Council Wolfgang Sobotka, OSCE PA President George Tsereteli, OSCE Chair-in-Office and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia Miroslav Lajčák, OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger, and others. This year discussions have featured such issues, as human rights during emergencies, fighting corruption, money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The parliamentarians also touched upon the issue of improving the tools and mechanisms of the OSCE to resolve protracted conflicts.