The EU-funded Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA 10) held the third round of National Project Steering Group meetings (NSG) in Kyrgyzstan, in order to review the progress of its third implementation year and define plans for the final period of current phase. On September 12, a stakeholder meeting was held in Bishkek, gathering Kyrgyz national counterparts directly involved in the project’s implementation.

H.E. Bolot Otunbaev, Ambassador at Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyz Republic, underlined their interest in continuous cooperation with the programme and summed up its efforts to date:

“The Kyrgyz Republic places significance on its cooperation with the European Union. Within the framework of the regional indicative programme in Kyrgyzstan, the BOMCA project, which has gained credibility, has been successfully implemented in Central Asia for more than 20 years, increasing not only capacity of the law enforcement agencies, but also expanding cooperation at the regional level,” he stressed.

The Central Asia area, as with many regions of the world, continues to face such security challenges as terrorism, extremism, transnational organized crime, drug trafficking and border security issues. Thus, for the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as for the entire region, it’s vital to continue implementation of the BOMCA programme, along with other international projects and flagship initiatives of the European Union. As a result of the implementation of EU-funded BOMCA programme, a platform and network for dialogue on regional and national border security policy with key government and civil society organizations has been established and maintained”, - he said.