5th Meeting of the Cooperation Council between the EU and the Kyrgyz Republic

The Cooperation Council between the European Union and the Kyrgyz Republic held its fifth meeting on Tuesday 22 July 2003. The meeting was chaired by Mr Roberto Antonione, Italian Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and head of the EU delegation. The Kyrgyz delegation was led by Mr Kurmanbek Osmonov, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic. The European Commission was represented by Mr Michael Leigh, Deputy Director General for External Relations.

The Cooperation Council welcomed the activities of the Kyrgyz Republic's Ombudsman and the recent widening of his mandate to also visit prisons and detention centres. The EU urges that his office be given the funds needed to remain operational.

The Cooperation Council noted European Union concerns about the temporary closing of the newspaper Moya Stolitsa.

The Cooperation Council welcomed and encouraged the Kyrgyz government's ongoing efforts to improve its business climate. It noted the measures to fight corruption that have already been taken and called for further efforts in this regard.

The Cooperation Council welcomed the Kyrgyz Republic's efforts in the fight against poverty, acknowledging the potential effects of poverty and an uneven distribution of wealth on regional stability and the spread of violent extremism. It welcomed in this context the significant assistance effort devoted by the EU to poverty reduction in Central Asia, including the Kyrgyz Republic.

The Cooperation Council expressed its appreciation for the Kyrgyz Republic's contribution to the fight against terrorism. It noted with satisfaction the ongoing cooperation between the EU and the Kyrgyz Republic in the fight against terrorism, drugs and organised crime, inter alia in the framework of the Central Asia drugs action programme (CADAP) and the EU's border management programme for Central Asia (BOMCA).

In this context the EU welcomed ratification by the Kyrgyz Republic of the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and its aspiration to accede to its optional protocols, as well as to bring into force such anti-money laundering provisions as are needed to fulfil its commitments concerning the implementation of UNSCR 1373 (2001).

In the context of EU-Kyrgyz cooperation in the field of environment and nuclear safety, the Cooperation Council welcomed the successful finalisation of the EU-funded Tacis project on the nuclear tailings site of Mailuu Suu. It acknowledged that the resulting study will be a sound basis for further donor interventions.

The European Union encourages the Kyrgyz Republic to ratify and adopt implementing legislation for the Rome Statute creating the International Criminal Court.

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