OSCE Centre in Bishkek and Swiss OSCE Chairmanship present priorities for 2014 co-operation

Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, and René Holenstein, Ambassador of Switzerland to the Kyrgyz Republic representing the Swiss Chairmanship-in-Office, presented priorities of their co-operation on 29 January 2014 in Bishkek.

Under the leitmotif of ‘Creating a Security community for the Benefit of Everyone’, Switzerland, during its Chairmanship, wants to contribute to fostering security and stability, improving people’s lives and to strengthening the OSCE’s capacity to act, Ambassador Holenstein said.

To implement these goals, he added, Switzerland has defined several priority initiatives such as: combating transnational threats, enhancing the capacity for the management of natural disasters in the OSCE area, strengthening security sector governance, implementing commitments in the human dimension and strengthening the mediation capacities of the OSCE.

He stressed that Switzerland at the helm of the OSCE would also pay special attention to the inclusion of civil society in the OSCE. In particular, Switzerland will give young people a voice by organising a series of events.

Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, Head of OSCE Centre in Bishkek, praised the support that the OSCE project, the Community Security Initiative, has been receiving from Switzerland since it started in 2010.

He also spoke among others about the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, a unique educational and research institution that has been supported by the Swiss Government and Swiss-based institutions such as the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.

Talking about the co-operation between Kyrgyzstan and the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, Kapinos specifically focused on the project on establishing a centralized government crisis management centre in Kyrgyzstan, which started in 2011. The project’s implementation follows the expression of interest on part of the Government in establishing a proper crisis management mechanism under the Prime-Minister’s office.

“The Situation Room created under the project is aimed at preventing and addressing any kind of emergency situation; it will incorporate both civilian and security structures into its command and control design,” Kapinos said. “The Situation Room setup is expected to increase operational efficiency and enhance government responses and co-ordination in times of emergencies.”

The work on establishing the Situation Room is set to start in 2014. It will include the signing of a three-partite Memorandum of Understanding between the OSCE, the Kyrgyz Government, and the Democratic Control for Armed Forces (DCAF). The activities under the project will also include a study tour to France to learn from the crisis management experience of the French Ministry of Interior in the framework of similar Crisis Centres. The premises of the Situation Room in Bishkek will be refurbished, and necessary equipment to launch its operation will be procured as part of the project. The partners, Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of the Armed Forces, and the French Government, will provide necessary assistance in terms of legislative review, and technical expertise, respectively.