In view of the situation in Kyrgyzstan, Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has spoken on the telephone with Kazakh Foreign Minister and current OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Kanat Saudabayev and with his Uzbek opposite number Vladimir Norov.

All three were concerned about the tense political and humanitarian situation, particularly in the south of Kyrgyzstan. They stressed that everything possible had to be done to stabilize the region and to alleviate the suffering of the refugees.

Speaking to his Uzbek counterpart, Federal Minister Westerwelle underlined the need for the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border to be kept open for humanitarian aid and refugees. At the same time he thanked the Uzbek leadership for its humanitarian efforts to date.

In his conversation with the Kazakh foreign minister Westerwelle emphasized the role of the OSCE, saying that it had to make a concrete contribution to resolving the crisis. Kazakhstan, as current OSCE Chair, bore a special responsibility in this regard. The two men agreed to remain in close touch, both regarding the crisis resolution efforts and on preparations for the OSCE foreign ministers meeting to be held in mid-July in Almaty.