Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 18 / Trend E.Ostapenko /
The Kazakh and Lithuanian foreign ministers have agreed on close cooperation on the basis of the progress achieved at a time of the Astana presidency of the OSCE in 2010, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry reported.
Kazakh Foreign Minister and Secretary of State Kanat Saudabayev had a telephone conversation with his Lithuanian counterpart Audronius Azubalis on Monday.
Kazakhstan transferred the annual OSCE chairmanship to Lithuania on Jan. 1.
Azubalis thanked Saudabayev for the successful chairmanship of the OSCE in 2010 and announced his intention to utilize their experience. He stressed that a number of priorities of Kazakhstan's chairmanship, in particular the situation in Central Asia and, above all, in Kyrgyzstan, will remain key to the agenda of the Lithuanian presidency.
In turn, Saudabayev congratulated his counterpart on his assumption of the OSCE chairman and holding the inauguration of the Lithuanian presidency. Saudabayev confirmed the importance of ensuring continuity and expressed willingness to work constructively together with Lithuania both on a bilateral basis and within the framework of the OSCE Troika.
OSCE Troika is the body that ensures continuity in the organization's activities and advises the chairman. After completing the OSCE chairmanship last year, Kazakhstan is still in the Troika for this year, along with the chairman - Lithuania - and 2012 president - Ireland.
The ministers considered the process of preparing for the traditional start of the year with meeting in the format of the EU - the OSCE Troika.
The sides discussed the status and prospects of the development of Kazakh-Lithuanian relations. They agreed that new impetus to bilateral cooperation should give the negotiations of Kazakh and Lithuanian Presidents Nursultan Nazarbayev and Dalia Grybauskaite. Grybauskaite is expected to visit Astana this year.