ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND CO-OPERATION IN EUROPE
A five-day regional workshop on a comprehensive approach to responding to and reducing explosive hazards in Central Asia and Afghanistan took place in September 2015 in the Kyrgyz Republic.
About 35 military and civilian experts from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan discussed best practices in explosive hazards response and reduction (EHRR) with representatives from Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) participating states and Afghanistan.
Participants shared techniques for disposing of excess and obsolete munitions and learned about international and national mine action standards and guidance for humanitarian demining operations. OSCE-supported experts from the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining and Tajikistan National Mine Action Sector also shared their experiences.
“The OSCE believes that effective technical cooperation in the field of reduction of explosive hazards requires the regular exchange of experiences and sharing of best practices between participating states,” said Mihail Semionov, demining officer at the OSCE office in Tajikistan. He added that close cooperation between Central Asia countries was indispensable to regional stability and security.
Yury Padun, senior politico-military officer of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, said: “This workshop provides great opportunity for identifying common regional needs and sets the stage for future joint activities in the field of EHRR.”
Col. Ziyabek Kamchibekov, the head of the Engineering Department at the Kyrgyz Defense Ministry, said: “A joint dialogue on this important issue will help us to enhance our experiences and knowledge between relevant agencies and contribute to regional security and stability.”
The event was organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan in close cooperation with the OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the Kyrgyz Defense Ministry. The seminar is part of the OSCE’s long-term support in developing cooperation among states in Central Asia and Afghanistan to address the challenges of munitions disposal.