EU Statement on the Report by the Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and the Director of the OSCE Academy in Bishkek - OSCE Permanent Council No. 1574
The European Union welcomes the Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, Ambassador Dr. Volker Frobarth, and the Director of the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Dr. Pal Dunay. We thank them for their work and look forward to continuing our cooperation.
We commend the work of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek in close cooperation with, and in support of, the authorities of Kyrgyzstan in all three OSCE dimensions. Its achievements confirm the Office’s important role in assisting the host country in implementing the OSCE commitments. We also value the continued cooperation with civil society.
We take note of the planned programmatic adjustment based on four programmatic pillars and underline the importance of a cross-dimensional approach, including the meaningful participation of women and youth.
Kyrgyzstan is an important partner for the EU in Central Asia. In this context, we highlight the synergies among the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA), the Global Gateway Strategy, the EU Strategy for Central Asia, and the activities of the OSCE Programme Office in Kyrgyzstan. We hope that Kyrgyzstan will finalise the ratification of the EPCA at the earliest convenience so its provisional application could begin.
The EU commends the role played by the Office in enhancing border security and cross-border CSBMs, strengthening response to transnational threats, and fostering Kyrgyzstan’s non-proliferation architecture. We welcome the coordination with the EU Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA), which launched its 11th phase in Bishkek on 21 May 2026.
We thank the Programme Office for its role in fostering economic growth and sustainable development, in strengthening economic connectivity and addressing environmental issues in remote areas, improving the national disaster risk reduction system, and supporting digitalisation. We welcome its efforts to promote good governance and strengthen institutional capacities to combat money laundering.
We also welcome the Programme Office’s activities on voter education and democratic processes, criminal justice, penitentiary reform and torture prevention, combatting the trafficking of human beings, and promoting gender equality. We note that last year’s early parliamentary elections under the new majoritarian electoral system were administered efficiently. We remain concerned by developments limiting the exercise of fundamental freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, as well as by the narrowing space for civil society and independent media. We trust that the authorities will fully implement ODIHR’s final report recommendations. We continue to monitor the human rights situation closely and call on the authorities to uphold their international human rights obligations and OSCE commitments.
We welcome that advancing gender equality and gender mainstreaming remain high on the agenda of the Programme Office, alongside strengthening youth participation in peace and security, including through cooperation with the other OSCE field operations in Central Asia.
We also follow closely the work of the OSCE Academy in Bishkek in advancing its core mandate of promoting regional cooperation, conflict prevention, and good governance in Central Asia. We continue to support the implementation of the Academy’s objectives, including through substantial financial contributions of the EU and EU Member States.
We reiterate our appreciation for the work of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and the OSCE Academy and wish both heads and their teams every success in their future activity.
Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.