OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek supports Central Asian states and Belarus in joint efforts to strengthen implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1540

With the support of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek an expert review of the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1540 on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in Central Asian states and Belarus was held in Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan on 28 June 2018.

Taking part in the meeting were delegations from Kyrgyzstan, headed by the State Secretary of the Economy Ministry Aidin Sharsheev, together with delegations from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. They were joined by international experts from the OSCE Secretariat, the UN Security Council’s 1540 Committee, the Technical Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, as well as the implementation support groups of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction.

The meeting was in line with obligations outlined in the UN Security Council Resolution, which call on states to promote dialogue and co-operation in the field of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It was held after regional reviews on implementation of the Resolution between 2015 and 2017 proposed that the countries of the region work on developing national action plans for its implementation. Consequently, the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Economy took the initiative in organizing this regional expert review.

"Kyrgyzstan is one of the states which strictly fulfils its obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1540, and we really are a leader in this matter," said Sharsheev as he opened the meeting. He added that Kyrgyzstan has already adopted a second national action plan containing further steps to be taken in order to implement Resolution 1540.

The expert review addressed how to strengthen legislation in the field of export control, biological and chemical safety, among other issues.

"The OSCE is always ready to promote dialogue, and I am pleased to provide analytical expertise and a platform for discussion, but the successful implementation of Resolution 1540 resolution depends on the active initiative of each country," said OSCE expert Anton Martyniuk.