OSCE PA Special Representative Ignacio Sanchez Amor (right) consults a map of Kyrgyzstan alongside John MacGregor, the Deputy Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, 5 October 2015.BISHKEK, 5 October 2015 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on OSCE Border Issues, Ignacio Sanchez Amor (right), met with officials from the OSCE Centre in Bishkek today for discussions on border management issues in Kyrgyzstan.

The Special Representative held discussions with Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, the Head of the Centre; John MacGregor, the Centre’s Deputy Head; and officials responsible for the Centre’s Border Management Unit. The officials briefed Sanchez Amor on the status of Kyrgyzstan’s borders and the confidence-building programmes in which the Centre is involved. The Special Representative inquired in particular about the progress made in the delimitation of the country’s borders with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the current situation in the Fergana Valley and in enclaves within Kyrgyzstan, and how the political situation in those areas affects the daily lives of its citizens.

Additionally, Sanchez Amor informed his interlocutors of his functions within the Parliamentary Assembly and of his intention to maintain the topic of border management in the Assembly’s agenda, particularly from a human scale point of view. Both sides expressed interest in future co-operation in this field.

The Special Representative also visited the OSCE Academy in Bishkek on 1 October, where he met with its directors and students.

Sanchez Amor is currently in Kyrgyzstan to serve as OSCE Special Co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission for the country’s parliamentary elections.