BISHKEK -- German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is also the chairman in office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), has discussed bilateral ties and regional and international issues with Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev in Bishkek.
Atambaev's press service said that the March 31 talks also focused on the OSCE's role in the development of democratic institutions in Kyrgyzstan.
From Bishkek, Steinmeier will travel on to Tajikistan, the last leg of his three-day Central Asian tour that began with a trip to Uzbekistan on March 30.
Ahead of the tour, Steinmeier described Central Asia as a "region of strategic importance" with "considerable risks to [global] stability."
On March 29, the German Foreign Ministry said that regional cooperation, economic ties, and the fight against terrorism would be high on the agenda during Steinmeier's meetings in the region.