OSCE Academy in Bishkek hosts seminar on security in Central Asia

The fifth annual Central Asian security seminar took place at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek on 13 and 14 September 2012.

Security policy experts from Eurasia, East and South Asia, Europe and the United States, as well as local high-level officials discussed key regional security trends and challenges, including the situation in Afghanistan, and its implications for Central Asia and globally; military co-operation and competition; security service reforms in Central Asia and international involvement in them; the interlocking strategic visions of key players; and the role of non-state violent actors, including terrorism and organized crime.

The event was co-organized by the OSCE Academy, the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, and the Near East South Asia Centre for Strategic Studies in Washington DC.

Anders Troedsson, the Acting Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, which oversees the activities of the OSCE Academy, said: “The OSCE is about security and conflict prevention, it is about promoting stability and good governance and thereby prosperity, principles which are propagated also by the OSCE Academy in Bishkek. We are proud that the Academy increasingly plays the role of a platform in Central Asia for instruction and expertise on such issues.”

Avazbek Atakhanov, the Director of the Department of Eastern Countries of Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Ministry, said: “We expect that today’s event will allow to see objectively the situation in Afghanistan, evaluate its possible influence over the whole region and to elaborate with joint efforts recommendations for enhancing stability and security in the Central Asia.”

Maxim Ryabkov, the Director of the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, added: “The OSCE Academy is happy to host so many prominent experts engaged in a frank and fruitful discussion. The output of the meeting will be made available to the decision makers in the region and beyond. A critical overview of regional security modalities is particularly important in light of the 2014 Afghanistan withdrawal, the growing importance of China and India as regional players, and new roles that the Central Asian states start playing in these emerging circumstances.”

The synopsis of the seminar presentations, discussions and key conclusions will be published by the Geneva Centre for Security Policy as a Geneva Paper.