646th Meeting of the Permanent Council of the OSCE
The EU has taken note of the announcement of the Presidential elections to be held in Turkmenistan on 11 February 2007 and looks forward to cooperation between relevant Turkmen authorities, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabad and the ODIHR in this regard. We appreciate the opportunity provided to the ODIHR to conduct a needs assessment mission on possible election support and will carefully study ODIHR´s report on this mission.
In conformity with the Copenhagen Document of 1990, the EU stresses that all elections must be opportunities for the people to freely express their political will. The release of all political prisoners and their relatives from custody, allowing freedom of movement, including the freedom to leave the country and to freely return, facilitating the free functioning of printed and electronic media and creating the conditions necessary for the legal functioning of political parties are necessary steps to meet this end. The EU calls upon Turkmenistan also to allow access to the international media to cover the elections, thus contributing to transparency.
The EU hopes that following these elections, the new government will intensify its efforts on democratic reforms in accordance with OSCE commitments and other international obligations, including through increased cooperation with the OSCE, and underlines that it attaches particular importance to respect for fundamental human rights.
The EU stands ready to assist the Turkmen authorities in its efforts to comply with all OSCE commitments.
The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia, EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.
