Newsroom
OSCE brings experts to Almaty to consider measures to combat arms trafficking in Central Asia
ALMATY 17 May 2002
ALMATY, 17 May 2002 - Regional measures to crack down on the illegal trade of small arms and light weapons in Central Asia will be the focus of a meeting to be held on 21 and 22 May in Almaty. The Regional Meeting on Small Arms, hosted by the OSCE Centre in Almaty and the Government of Kazakhstan, will bring together experts from Central Asia, Europe and North America in Almaty.
The proliferation of small arms and light weapons to criminal organizations, drugs traffickers and terrorist groups has been recognized as a critical issue throughout the OSCE region. The Central Asian participating States of the OSCE have repeatedly voiced their concerns about the threats posed by these weapons, which range from pistols and revolvers to shoulder-fired missile launchers. Widespread availability and trafficking in small arms in some parts of Central Asia undermine stability and security and fuel violence and crime.
The agreement of an OSCE-wide document on small arms and light weapons gives the organization the necessary principles and measures on which to base practical co-operation and assistance for all OSCE states. A series of training workshops was held at the national level in all five states of Central Asia in November and December last year. During those workshops, the Government of Kazakhstan offered to host a regional meeting in Almaty to build on the progress already made and to foster regional dialogue and co-operation.
It will be the first meeting of working level experts from Defence, Foreign Affairs and Interior Ministries, as well as police, customs and border guards. The aim is to improve co-operation in preventing and combating cross-border trafficking in small arms and light weapons.
Media representatives are invited to the opening session of the Regional Meeting on Small Arms, which will start on Tuesday 21 May at 9:30 in Hotel Dostyk, Almaty. Senior government officials and OSCE representatives will address the participants and identify a number of concrete measures which should be taken to combat this scourge. They will include Ambassador Herbert Salber, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office for Central Asia (and the former head of the OSCE Centre in Almaty), and Ambassador Heinrich Haupt, the current Head of the Centre.
The proliferation of small arms and light weapons to criminal organizations, drugs traffickers and terrorist groups has been recognized as a critical issue throughout the OSCE region. The Central Asian participating States of the OSCE have repeatedly voiced their concerns about the threats posed by these weapons, which range from pistols and revolvers to shoulder-fired missile launchers. Widespread availability and trafficking in small arms in some parts of Central Asia undermine stability and security and fuel violence and crime.
The agreement of an OSCE-wide document on small arms and light weapons gives the organization the necessary principles and measures on which to base practical co-operation and assistance for all OSCE states. A series of training workshops was held at the national level in all five states of Central Asia in November and December last year. During those workshops, the Government of Kazakhstan offered to host a regional meeting in Almaty to build on the progress already made and to foster regional dialogue and co-operation.
It will be the first meeting of working level experts from Defence, Foreign Affairs and Interior Ministries, as well as police, customs and border guards. The aim is to improve co-operation in preventing and combating cross-border trafficking in small arms and light weapons.
Media representatives are invited to the opening session of the Regional Meeting on Small Arms, which will start on Tuesday 21 May at 9:30 in Hotel Dostyk, Almaty. Senior government officials and OSCE representatives will address the participants and identify a number of concrete measures which should be taken to combat this scourge. They will include Ambassador Herbert Salber, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office for Central Asia (and the former head of the OSCE Centre in Almaty), and Ambassador Heinrich Haupt, the current Head of the Centre.