The possibility of Club de Madrid activity was warmly welcomed by President Rosa Otunbayeva, Deputy Prime Minister Amangeldy Muraliev, political party leaders, civil society organizations and other Kyrgyz and international stakeholders including the EU, UN and OSCE in Bishkek. President Otunbayeva stressed the importance of this potential Club de Madrid support to the transition to democracy already taking place in the Central Asian country and welcomed a future project.
During this initial mission, the Club de Madrid delegation led by President Vike-Freiberga met with Kyrgyz political and civil society leaders from all the parts of the political spectrum. The delegation also identified specific needs for the transition period, including reconciliation efforts after the recent crisis in the south of the country, promoting the rule of law and comprehensive judicial reform, strengthening political parties and professionalizing government functions.
The mission also met with the diplomatic community in Bishkek and received on the ground support from the Soros Foundation-Kyrgyzstan and the Bishkek office of the International Crisis Group.
