On 08 February 2024, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the OSCE Academy, with support of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to continue their well-established partnership now within the framework of a new Green Central Asia Initiative of the German Federal Government.
During the meeting, Dr. Kate Walker, Director of the OSCE Academy, accompanied by Dr. Indira Satarkulova, Deputy Director of the OSCE Academy, welcomed the GIZ Delegation – Mr. Torsten Brezina, Cluster Coordinator in Central Asia, Ms. Caroline Milow, GIZ Project Manager, Alexandr Nikolayenko, Regional Project Manager, and Urmat Tabaldiev, National Project Manager, and the delegation from the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek – H.E. Ambassador Alexey Rogov, Head of the Programme Office in Bishkek, Ms. Ekaterine Nakashidze, Deputy Head, Dmitry Prudtskikh, Acting Head of the Economic and Environmental Department, and Mr. Colin McCullough, Senior Planning and Co-ordination Officer.
The parties highlighted the importance of joining forces when working on the issues of water diplomacy and climate change in the Central Asia region. They discussed potential collaboration within the new initiative that will engage a number of universities and institutions in the Central Asia region and Europe. Afterwards, Dr. Walker and Mr. Brezina signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, formalizing the intention to develop the partnership in the future.