From 11 to 17 May, the EU-funded Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA 10) organised a study visit to Poland, Lithuania and Latvia for senior officials of the Border Guard Service under the State Committee for National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The visit aimed to familiarise the delegation with EU approach to Integrated Border Management (IBM), supporting the effective implementation of Kyrgyzstan’s Integrated Border Security Management Strategy and its Implementation Plan for 2025-2030. Over the course of the week, participants met with counterparts from EU FRONTEX agency, Polish Border Guard, State Border Guard Service of Lithuania and State Border Guard of Latvia. Throughout the visit, the Kyrgyzstan delegation explored various aspects of IBM, including the implementation and monitoring of national IBM strategies, strategic and tactical risk analysis, the use of modern border surveillance technologies and infrastructure, interagency and cross-border cooperation mechanisms to struggle hybrid risks at external borders of EU as well as standards for the detention of illegal migrants and the processing of asylum seekers.
The programme combined policy-level discussions with practical exposure through field visits to road border crossing points and green border surveillance units, detention centres and education and training institutions. Participants visited the FRONTEX Headquarters and its 24/7 Operations Centre in Warsaw and observed the use of satellites/drones surveillance systems used for “maritime and green border” protection. This initiative reinforced mutual learning and opened new opportunities for cooperation between Kyrgyz border authorities and their EU counterparts, contributing to stronger and more effective border management in Central Asia.
The activity was implemented under BOMCA 10’s Component 1 “Institutional Development of Border Control Agencies”, which aims to strengthen the institutional capacities of border control agencies in Central Asian countries to achieve international standards and best practices in ensuring national and regional security.