DUSHANBE, 22 January 2003 - National
minorities policy was the main topic at the first roundtable of the newly
established "Social Partnership" discussion club, held in the
Tajik capital Dushanbe yesterday.
"This unique forum for discussion
is tasked to explore ways the Republic of Tajikistan can enter the new
millennium and further secure national unity," said Ibragim Usmanov,
State Adviser to the President of Tajikistan, in his welcoming speech to
participants.
The event was organized at the initiative of the Presidential Executive Office, with the support of the OSCE Centre in Dushanbe.
Ambassador Marc Gilbert, Head of the Centre, also underlined the importance of the club: "It is a good step towards an open society where the interests of all its members are taken into account, an indispensable requirement for the improvement of stability in Tajikistan," he said.
The main goal of establishing the discussion club is to familiarize roundtable participants with international juridical standards, to reflect the real situation in the country, and to broaden perspectives of development of the national, international, gender and youth policy.
The Social Partnership discussion club will hold 19 roundtables throughout 2003 on issues such as the death penalty, practice of torture, transparency in the election process, access to land, transition to the market economy and enhancement of private business in Tajikistan.
This first roundtable focused on the policy towards national minorities, as there appeared to be a real need for the OSCE to bring supplementary information to the Tajik intelligentsia and decision-makers. It gathered 40 participants from the Presidential Executive Office, the Prosecutor General's Office and all political parties, as well as members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of non-governmental organizations and the mass media.
For further information, please contact:
Maxime Filandrov
Political and Media officer
OSCE Centre in Dushanbe
12, Zikrullo Khojaev Str.
Dushanbe
Tajikistan
Tel.: +992 372 21 40 63
+992 372 24 33 38
Fax: +992 372 24 91 59
E-mail: maxime@osce.tojikiston.com