The OSCE and Central Asia: Engagement in Times of Crises

Over the past three decades, the five Central Asian states have been anchored in the European security architecture through their membership in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). They have benefited from the OSCE engagement and assistance in the three dimensions that constitute the organization’s comprehensive security concept: politico-military, economic and environmental, and human. Russia’s war against Ukraine dealt a major blow to European security and the organization was established as a bridge between the West and the East with the Helsinki Final Act of 1975. Today, the Central Asian states also find themselves at the sharp end of the growing geopolitical rivalry between east and west. The report by the OSCE Network of Think Tanks and Academic Institutions on “The OSCE and Central Asia. Options for Engagement in the Context of Crisis in Afghanistan and the War in Ukraine” outlines challenges and suggests options for OSCE cooperation with Central Asian participating States. The event will gather the principal co-author of the report and experts on OSCE and Eurasian security to reflect on the value of this engagement and the best ways forward.