The meeting of heads of the two countries’ security agencies was held in the southern Kyrgyz town of Osh at the end of last week. Interior Minister Moldomusa Kongantiyev, Prosecutor-General Elmurza Satybaldiyev and the chairman of the State National Security Committee, Murat Sutalinov, attended the meeting from Kyrgyzstan and Interior Minister Bahodir Matlubov, Prosecutor-General Rashidjon Qodirov, National Security Service Chairman Rustam Inoyatov represented Uzbekistan.

The press service said the security officials discussed a number of issues of cooperation in fighting transnational organized crime, religious extremism, terrorism, drug trafficking as well as blocking drug trafficking channels, searching for, detaining and extraditing criminals and resolving Kyrgyz-Uzbek border issues.

"In particular, all formalities regarding citizens’ stay on the territories of the neighbouring countries will be minimized in the nearest future in strict conformity with agreements, which have been reached," the Kyrgyz Interior Ministry said.

"During a constructive dialogue, the sides openly discussed problems that have accumulated so far and expressed the unanimous opinion that they are interested in progressive development of cooperation and close collaboration in carrying out tasks on ensuring public security in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan," the Interior Ministry’s special report said.

Following the results of reached agreements, a working meeting was held in the Khonobod town of Uzbekistan’s eastern Andijan Region the next day, on 27 June, between heads of interior agencies and prosecutor’s offices of Osh town, [southwestern Kyrgyz] Dzhalal-Abad, [southern] Osh and Batken regions and their colleagues from Uzbekistan’s [eastern] border regions: Andijon, Fargona and Namangan. The sides discussed and planned a number of specific rapid preventive measures aimed at fighting crime, ensuring stability and public security in the two counties’ border regions and districts.