BISHKEK (TCA) — Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek is hosting the 12th Central Asia Border Security Initiative (CABSI) Conference on April 27 and 28. The meeting results from the cooperation between the EU, the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior Border Management in Central Asia Programme (BOMCA) with the support of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the European Union’s Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic said.
The CABSI event gathered over a hundred guests working in the field of border security, migration and trade facilitation, including officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and EU member states of Austria, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and other countries playing an important role in the region, as well as representatives of international organisations operating in the field of migration, such as International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), International Organization for Migration (IOM), Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The event was opened by Mr. Emil Kaikiyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic , Mr. Peter Burian, EU Special Representative for Central Asia, and Mr. Johann Bezdeka, Deputy Director General of the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior.
Since 2002, Central Asian Governments and all donors associated with border management have come together under the auspices of the CABSI Conferences being an international forum for coordination of international efforts and exchanges on EU objectives and programmes in the field of border security and management in Central Asia. Since then, the CABSI has proven itself to become a regional platform, which promotes modern integrated border management (IBM) approach to strengthen the security of borders while facilitating legitimate movements and trade.
This twelfth CABSI Conference particularly focuses on the role of border management in countering violent extremism, management of mixed migration flows and promotion of trade facilitation across borders. Each of the topics was prominently discussed in the thematic panels from perspective of States and international actors. During these discussions the participants underlined crucial role of the integrated border management for enforcement of the border security and facilitation of social and economic development in the region. Participants also agreed on the need to cooperate and coordinate activities aiming at further enhancing border management cooperation at strategic and technical levels.
