B2 Brussels2 The Blog

Political and defence Europe (by Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

News BlogRussia Caucasus Ukraine

Kyrgyzstan: COPS discusses European commitment

(BRUSSELS2) The ambassadors of the COPS – the EU Political and Security Committee – are meeting this Friday with an important point on its agenda: Kyrgyzstan. It is not only a matter of assessing the situation in this country not far from Afghanistan, shaken by inter-ethnic violence, but also of clarifying possible European involvement in the country. Both the parliamentary assembly and the OSCE special envoy to the region, Kimmo Kiljunen, recommended sending an international police force. A civilian force of 50 to 150 police officers intended to help the Kyrgyz police stabilize the situation and search for troublemakers, and which would also ensure a certain international presence and therefore a return to confidence.

But this force is currently suspended from the Moscow agreement (OSCE decisions are taken by consensus). From Washington where he is currently visiting, Russian President Medvedev did not show enthusiasm: Russia does not plan to send peace forces to the country, he declared. There is no question of an EU mission yet. But it is not forbidden to think about it... And we are apparently thinking about it (referring to the Georgian model) even if all the representatives of the 27 are not on the same line, for the moment. In the meantime, the team of the EU special representative in Central Asia, Pierre Morel, will be urgently reinforced. The decision was already made this Wednesday. And 6 people are in the process of being recruited to strengthen the offices of the Special Representative in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

MapKhirghizstan@UN

The violence which began in mid-June officially left 261 dead. But the death toll could reach 2000, according to other sources (a figure even taken up by the country's interim presidency, Roza Otunbayeva). They were allegedly provoked by relatives of former President Bakyev and militants coming from Afghanistan from the neighboring province of Badakhshan, says the head of Kyrgyz security, Keneshbek Dushebayev, according to comments reported by Ria Novosti.

The hypothesis of drug traffickers from Afghanistan is not excluded either, according to our Russian colleagues. The Osh region (in which unrest occurred) represents a sort of mouth through which narcotics spread throughout Central Asia. This region is a drug trafficking hub", believes the director of the Russian Drug Control Service (FSKN) Viktor Ivanov, according to RIA Novosti. Russia is thus considering establishing a second military base in Kyrgyzstan, in addition to the Kan airbase (10 planes, 14 helicopters, two companies of paratroopers).

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

Read also: Kyrgyzstan, the EU concerned. The word is a little weak! (shift)

(credit card: UN)

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

Comments closed.

Privacy Preferences Center

Necessary

advertising

analytics

Other