17-18 May 2005

NATO Special Representative visits Kyrghyz Republic News 09/03/2005 - NATO Special Representative for Caucasus and Central Asia visits Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Opinions 17/05/2005 - NATO Biography of Robert Simmons, Secretary General's Special Representative for the Causasus and Central Asia Multimedia 10/09/2004 - NATO Cooperation with the Caucasus and Central Asia Video interview with Robert Simmons The NATO Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia Robert Simmons visited the Kyrghyz Republic from 17-18 May. He met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Roza Otunbayeva, with offficials from the Ministry of Defence and from the Ministry of Civil Emergency and with the Deputy Speaker of Parliament. Ambassador Simmons said the Alliance appreciates the Kyrgyz government's willingness to continue co-operating with the Alliance in the framework of the Partnership for Peace Programme and that NATO will work with the Kyrgyz government in order to identify ways in which we can expand our relations. He expressed NATO's readiness to assist the Kyrghyz Republic in areas such as defence reform and officers training, as well as civil emergency planning. Ambassador Simmons also had an exchange of views with his interlocutors on the currrent events in neighbouring Uzbekistan. Both sides expressed concern about the situation and their belief that the situation in Uzbekistan must be resolved through peaceful means.