Mr. Chairman, 

Your Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me express my gratitude to His Excellency Mr. Gustavo Meza-Cuadra Velázquez and Mrs. Michelle Koninsx for organizing and holding today's open briefing on the current counter-terrorism situation in Central Asian region, the progress achieved by the five States, and the remaining challenges and priorities.

In its counteraction to terrorist activities, Kyrgyzstan proceeds from the conviction that the fight against this threat must be conducted under the auspices of the United Nations. The Kyrgyz Republic proceeds from the premise that any measures taken in response to this threat must comply with the requirements of international law, the norms of international humanitarian law and human rights. In this context, Kyrgyzstan strictly fulfills the requirements of the resolutions of the UN Security Council and is interested in active cooperation with the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee.

Counteraction to terrorism is one of the priorities for the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic in ensuring national security, which, in this context, takes the necessary measures in the fight against international terrorism, in particular through the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. As measures taken to implement it, Kyrgyzstan has joined 10 out of 16 universal anti-terrorist documents. One of the last steps of the Kyrgyz Republic in this direction was the accession in November 2007 to the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism of 2005.

Also, national legislation is being improved. Along with the current Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Counteracting Terrorism", the draft Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Counteracting the Financing of Terrorist Activities and Legalization (Laundering) of Criminal Proceeds Derived from Crime" is being considered. In 2017, the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic adopted the Program for Combating Extremism and Terrorism for 2017-2022. Also, Kyrgyzstan is developing bilateral relations and multilateral cooperation in this field within various international organizations such as the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Regional Antiterrorist Structure of the SCO and Interpol.

The Regional Action Plan for the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy for Central Asia, adopted in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on 30 November 2011 at the High-level Meeting is the first regional framework to combat the threat of terrorism, using a common approach based on the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism strategy and strengthening of international partnership. This document contains a number of practical initiatives that should be jointly implemented in our region by governments, regional and subregional organizations with the support of the United Nations.

On April 30, 2018 in Ashgabat, the Kyrgyz Republic participated in the high-level meeting on "Towards a comprehensive implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia", organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia. During the meeting, the presentation of the III phase of the project "Towards a comprehensive implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia" took place. This project is certainly an important stage in strengthening the capacity of the Central Asian states in the fight against terrorism.

Kyrgyzstan is making significant efforts to comply with the requirements of UN Security Council Resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005) in accordance with the recommendations contained in the report of the Counter-Terrorism Committee and is firmly committed to meet the new requirements imposed by the Security Council in its recent resolutions - this is noted in the report of the Counter-Terrorism Committee on the results of a visit to Kyrgyzstan on February 24-26, 2016.

At the same time, it should be noted that in some areas, in order to fully comply with the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, it is required to take additional measures (including practical and operational ones) for which Kyrgyzstan needs to provide, for the most part, information and technical assistance in the following areas:

- advising on legal and practical measures to implement the relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolutions 2178 (2014) and 2253 (2015);

- exchange of best practices and experience in conducting risk assessment in the context of combating the financing of terrorism;

- conduct training for relevant institutions on the detection of mines and explosive devices, prevent the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes, prevent and suppress terrorist acts and prosecute perpetrators, tactical responses to emergency response to terrorist acts;

- providing information on best practices, equipment and technical support for assessing the risks associated with the use of chemical and nuclear materials;

- providing access to Interpol databases at all border checkpoints and all law enforcement offices;

- provision and/or modernization of technical means of border and customs control;

- maintenance of the Automated Border Control System;

- provision of expert advice and technical means to automate the preparation and distribution of a single list of individuals and entities involved in terrorist and extremist activities;

- exchange of best practices and assistance in building capacity in combating violent extremism and its prevention, including in relation to rehabilitation centers;

- continuous training of law enforcement officers and other personnel involved in counter-terrorism activities, in particular with regard to counter-terrorism measures, while respecting human rights and the rule of law.

Let me express my gratitude to the Counter-Terrorism Committee for its readiness to assist Kyrgyzstan in obtaining such assistance. We hope that close cooperation with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office and the Counter-Terrorism Committee will help resolve existing issues, including within the framework of the Phase III of the project on the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia.

As the UN Secretary-General correctly pointed out in his address to the High-Level Conference of the Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies, there are international framework for combating terrorism defined by the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, 19 global conventions and protocols and many regional documents. But this structure is not enough. Implementation should be a priority and supported by strong political will and resources.

Thank you