OSCE Centre in Bishkek helps establish border security co-ordination mechanism in Osh Province

The first provincial-level border security meeting with representatives of border management agencies, government officials and residents of border areas in the districts of Kara-Suu and Aravan took place on 16 November 2011 in Osh in southern Kyrgyzstan.

The meeting was organized by the Osh Field Office of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek in co-operation with the Osh Province Governor’s Office and the Kyrgyz Border Guard Service as part of the OSCE’s project on establishing early warning and conflict prevention mechanisms in border areas in Osh and Jalal-Abad provinces.

The purpose of the quarterly meetings is to enhance community outreach and inter-agency co-ordination in border-area districts in the Fergana Valley in Osh Province. During such meetings, concerns about border incidents that have taken place can be raised by representatives of “early warning groups” - bodies comprised of representatives from government and civil society at the district level that regularly deal with border incidents and meet on a monthly basis. The establishment and development of such early warning groups is also a component of the OSCE overall project.

During the meeting, issues such as livestock theft, document security and general border disputes on the Kyrgyz side of the border were discussed. Government officials in turn pledged to take measures to address these concerns and expressed gratitude to the OSCE Centre in Bishkek for facilitating the establishment of such a feedback mechanism. 

Ambassador Andrew Tesoriere, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, said: “Early warning and conflict prevention are key aspects of the OSCE Centre’s mandate. Reliable border management is a high priority. This border-security meeting in Osh therefore is very welcome, in that it seeks to reinforce the co-operation among different government structures and citizens to address border problems and issues. The meeting aims to improve communication lines, strengthen skills to tackle border issues and to enable participants to benefit from wider international expertise.”

Ahmatbek Mahamadov, the Deputy Governor of Osh province, said that “this event will create an additional incentive for the Border Troops to reach maximum efficiency in their activities on maintaining stability in border zones.”

Arseny Datkabekov, the Chief of the Main Direction of the Border Control, added: “He who is forewarned is forearmed. Well-organized co-ordination between law enforcement and local population is a possibility for us to get warned on potential border conflict at an early stage.”

The first provincial-level border security meeting in Jalal-Abad Province, which will be held in an identical format, is scheduled to take place later this month.