Text of report in English by Slovene news agency STA

Asgabat, 20 April: [Slovene] Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, the OSCE chairman-in-office, said he expected OSCE standards would be applied in Turkmenistan in the future as he visited the Central Asian country on Wednesday [20 April].

Rupel met Turkmenistan’s President Saparmyrat Nyyazow, with talks focusing on bolstering Turkmenistan’s participation in OSCE activities, the security organization said in a press release.

Noting that Turkmenistan had made progress in recent years, Rupel said that the country would improve its international reputation by "paying more attention to human rights issues and making them more visible".

Moreover, the OSCE said Rupel had extended an invitation to Turkmen authorities to attend an OSCE conference on civil society issues this autumn. The country had not participated in such conferences in recent years.

Rupel said he was told by President Nyyazow that Turkmenistan would be represented at that meeting, the OSCE added.

BBC Original source: STA news agency April 20, 2005