OSCE Centre in Bishkek supports development of crisis management system in Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK, 19 September 2011 – The OSCE Centre in Bishkek is supporting Kyrgyzstan to strengthen its national crisis management system with an OSCE-organized visit of four officials which began today.

The officials, from France, will meet representatives of governmental bodies, including the Vice Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Shamil Atakhanov, officials from the Interior Ministry, the State Committee for National Security, the Prime Minister’s Office and local self-governance structures.

A roundtable discussion on crisis management in Kyrgyzstan will take place on 22 and 23 September as part of the visit. The agenda will be based on four pillars: harmonization of security-related legislation; reinforcement of regional security structures and the chain of command; approaches to conflict resolution as part of a national crisis management strategy ; and the development of  IT security information techniques such as situation rooms.

Ambassador Andrew Tesoriere, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, said: “This visit of high level officials and the ensuing discussions form a next key step in strengthening national crisis management in Kyrgyzstan. The basis for discussion is how the authorities in Kyrgyzstan can achieve better co-ordination and skills within central and local-level government to handle a crisis, and more importantly to foresee and address its root causes. Government co-operation with actors in the wider civil society, such as existing conflict-resolution and mediation structures, is a key element in this approach.”

“Stability is the key factor for the economic and social development of the country and its citizens’ prosperity. Establishing an efficient crisis management mechanism in Kyrgyzstan is a crucial task. Sharing wider international expertise in crisis management with Kyrgyzstan will contribute to this goal,” he added.

The visit was organized as part of joint activities by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek and Kyrgyzstan’s Government towards helping to establish an early warning, crisis management and efficient post-conflict rehabilitation mechanism in the country.