OSCE hands over vehicle and mine detectors to Kyrgyz National Guards

On 4 October 2016, the OSCE Centre in Bishkek donated one minivan and five mine detectors to the Special Forces of Kyrgyz Republic’s National Guard.

This assistance aimed to increase the mobility of the Special Forces and enhance their operational capacity. The vehicle will allow the Special Forces group to carry out tasks more rapidly. 

“Since its establishment, the OSCE Centre has been supporting the development and strengthening of the state institutions of Kyrgyzstan,” said Sergey Kapinos, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek. “In the politico-military sphere, the Centre’s priority is security sector reform, in the implementation of which the National Guard is one of our main partners.”   

“The OSCE Centre in Bishkek has greatly assisted the units of the National Guard by supplying them with modern technology, equipment and vehicles,” said Mirbek Kasymkulov, Commander of the National Guard.

The assistance was provided within the framework of the agreement on co-operation between the OSCE Centre and the National Guard signed on 10 July 2015.  The donation is part of the OSCE project on enhancing the Kyrgyz Republic’s capacity to effectively counter terrorism and prevent violent extremism and radicalization leading to terrorism (VERLT).