DUSHANBE, May 3, Asia-Plus - The President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), Mr. Göran Lennmarker, is expected to arrive in Dushanbe today evening., according to the Tajik MFA.    

A source at the Tajik MFA said that tomorrow morning, Göran Lennmarker a member of the Swedish Parliament and chairman of its Committee for Foreign Affairs, will hold talks with Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi and the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament).  After that, Mr. Lennmarker is expected to meet with Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloyev, Chairman of the Milli (Tajikistan’s upper chamber of parliament).  

In the afternoon, the OSCE PA President will meet with Tajik media.   

One of the main purposes of the visit is to encourage grater parliamentary involvement in the OSCE.    

This trip by Mr. Lennmarker is part of an official OSCE PA tour of countries in Central Asia.  The OSCE PA President also intends to visit Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. 

The Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE is the parliamentary dimension of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, whose 56 participating States span the geographical area from Vancouver to Vladivostok.  The primary task of the 320 member Assembly is to facilitate inter-parliamentary dialogue, an important aspect of the overall effort to meet the challenges of democracy throughout the OSCE area.

This trip by Mr. Lennmarker is part of an official OSCE PA tour of countries in Central Asia.  The OSCE PA President already visited Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.