Newly appointed head of OSCE Police Advisory Group for Kyrgyzstan meets President, officials in Bishkek
BISHKEK, 24 August 2010 - Markus Mueller, the recently appointed Head of the OSCE Police Advisory Group for Kyrgyzstan, met with officials and representatives of non-governmental organizations today in Bishkek to discuss the project.
Accompanied by the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, Ambassador Andrew Tesoriere, he met President Roza Otunbaeva, Turatbek Djunusaliev, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Nikolay Soldashenko, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, as well as with a wide spectrum of NGO representatives, during his two-day visit, which concludes today.
Mueller said: "The OSCE Police Advisers will be a neutral party on the ground which will help to rebuild trust between the public and the police following the tragic events in the southern part of the country. I understand and respect reservations about the Police Advisory Group that have been expressed; however, it is important to emphasize that we are here on the invitation of the Government to assist Kyrgyzstan's law enforcement bodies in their efforts to stabilize the situation."
The OSCE has supported police reform in Kyrgyzstan since 2002 and OSCE police advisers successfully worked in Osh and Jalal-Abad following events in March 2005.
The discussions on the Police Advisory Group will be continued through the OSCE Centre in Bishkek in close consultation with Mueller.