ATHENS, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Kazakhstan pledged on Tuesday its commitment to fundamental principles and values of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), as the central Asian state prepares to take the chairmanship of the organization.

    Addressing the 17th annual OSCE Ministerial Council in Athens on Tuesday, Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev assured other member states of its strong will to further enhance the dialogue forum for Europe's security affairs.

    "We will be unwaveringly committed to the fundamental principles and values of OSCE. We will seek to ensure the balance of all three baskets of the Organization's activities and act as an honest broker promoting constructive dialogue with all partners based on trust, respect and mutual understanding," Saudabayev said during his speech at the meeting.

    Kazakhstan formally assumes the one year rotating OSCE chairmanship on January 1, 2010, succeeding Greece which hosts the current event, aiming for a joint declaration on the future of security in Europe.

    Some western media has looked skeptically at Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic that is still undergoing political and social transition.

    However, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, whose country held the OSCE chairmanship in 2008, told reporters that he had been in good cooperation with the Kazaks.

    "We should not judge the book by its colors," said Stubb.