OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Macedonian Foreign Minister, Bujar Osmani, travels to Central Asia on Tuesday to visit Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan as part of Macedonia’s OSCE Chairpersonship, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.

According to the release, Osmani will start his visit to Central Asia in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where he will meet with top state officials.

“He is set to meet with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. He will also meet and give a joint press conference with Minister of Foreign Affairs Bakhtiyor Saidov,” the MFA wrote.

In Tashkent, Osmani will also meet with Uzbekistan’s OSCE Project Coordinator office representatives.

He is also set to meet with Senate Speaker Tanzila Narbaeva as well as with civil society members.

From Uzbekistan, Osmani will travel to Kazakhstan, where he will also meet top government officials and visit the OSCE Programme Office in Astana to learn about the activities and projects the OSCE implements in Kazakhstan.

Osmani will meet with President Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu. A joint press conference will follow.

Osmani will also meet with representatives of Astana’s civil society organizations.

“Central Asia represents one of the OSCE’s priorities as it has faced constant challenges, now even more of them due to the consequences of the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine as well as the situation in Afghanistan,” the MFA wrote.

Osmani’s visit to Central Asia reflects one of Macedonia’s OSCE Chairpersonship’s priorities to provide support to the OSCE’s field missions and their cooperation with Central Asian states, according to the release.