OSCE helps strengthen Kyrgyzstan security response to a possible terrorist attack

An OSCE-supported exercise for law-enforcement officers “Batken-Antiterror-2013” took place in Batken, southern Kyrgyzstan, from 24 to 25 April 2013.

The aim of the exercise was to simulate the governmental response to a possible terrorist attack or incursion into the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic and to work out a mechanism to co-ordinate actions of the state law-enforcement agencies.

Participants learned about establishing headquarters that would guide an anti-terrorist operation, ensuring its proper functioning and the co-ordination between the key law-enforcement agencies – parts of the Anti-Terrorist Centre of State National Security, as well as about checking current state of the agencies’ operational potential and readiness to react.

Senior representatives of the State Committee of National Security, Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Emergency Situations, Internal Affairs, as well as of State Border Service and Batken province Administration participated in the exercise.

Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, said: “Strengthening potential of the agencies responsible for ensuring overall security at national and regional levels, developing co-ordination between them in the conditions close to a situation of real terrorist threat, is vital.” He stressed that this is especially relevant in the light of the planned withdrawal of International Security Assistance Force units from Afghanistan in 2014.

After the simulation exercise, key law-enforcement officials, Parliamentarians, as well as representatives of local authorities, took part in a roundtable discussion on the security and situation in border areas in Batken region. The meeting was organized by the non-governmental organization the Parliament of Political Parties, with the support of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek. It is part of the OSCE Centre’s activities to promote the role of the Kyrgyz Parliament in formulating priorities and policies for law-enforcement agencies involved in combating terrorism.