On 28 May, the Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, Head of the Politico-Military Department and the SALW Borders ExB team of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek participated in the official celebrations of the National Day of State Border Service in Kyrgyzstan that took place in Batken. The event, conducted with the participation of high officials, including Vice Cabinet Minister-Chairperson of the State Committee for National Security Lieutenant-General Kamchybek Tashiev, and the Director of the Border Service of the State Committee for National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic General-Major Ularbek Sharsheev, served as a platform for the presentation of the results achieved under the ExB Project on "Reducing the risk of illicit small arms and light weapons, ammunition and explosives proliferation across border of Kyrgyz Republic, implemented together with the Border Service.
The Project equipped engineering and K9 teams of the Border Service with necessary tools to effectively counter illicit trafficking of SALW, CA, and explosives. It also enhanced the Border Service officials' skills in Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Physical Security, Stockpile Management, and combating illicit trafficking. Additionally, the Project completed designs for a new K9 training center in Osh and several storage sites in southern Kyrgyzstan, with construction set to continue in the coming months.
The event emphasized the progress made in combating transnational threats and enhancing security in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia, and the OSCE region, in line with OSCE decisions and the Programme Office's mandate. It also reaffirmed the enduring partnership between the State Border Service and the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek.
The ExB Project, implemented jointly with the Border Service of the Kyrgyz Republic, is supported by the United States of America, Germany and Austria.
