OSCE promotes enhanced co-operation on border security in Central Asia

On June 27-29, a three-day regional meeting of 35 senior representatives of the border services from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan took place in Issyk-Kul province.

The main purpose of the meeting was to conduct practical exercises on the "Line of Conduct of Border Guards" with the aim to strengthen co-operation and security, as well as contribute to confidence building, good coordination and neighbourly relations in the Central Asian region.

The event served as a platform for the participants to discuss how to effectively address common threats such as international terrorism, violent extremism, illicit trafficking in weapons and drugs, transnational crime and illegal migration. In light of regional developments, including in Afghanistan, it is particularly important to ensure stability and security in the Central Asian region. Thus, one of the key messages discussed at the regional meeting was to enhance the common understanding that today's transnational threats can be tackled effectively only with proper co-ordination and co-operation.

“The Border Service of the State Committee for National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic will do everything possible to ensure that our citizens can work without having to fear for their security. We are interested in helping our neighbours feel as comfortable as our citizens as well,” said Marat Maralbaev, Chief of the Main Staff -First Deputy Director of the Border Service of the State Committee for National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic (BS SCNS).

During the meeting, the participants also discussed  in detail main requirements of the line of conduct on joint sections of the borders, determined key measures to counter transnational threats at the shared borders, and clarified the tasks of joint patrolling of undefined sections of the borders.

“The borders of the OSCE region begin in Central Asia, therefore co-operation on border security is important not only in terms of ensuring stability in the region, but also the sustainable development of the entire OSCE region, in general” said Ambassador Alexey Rogov, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek.

The event was organized jointly by the BS SCNS and the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, in coordination and with the support of the OSCE presences in Dushanbe, Nur-Sultan, and Tashkent.