Kyrgyzstan has improved its position in freedom of speech rating - OSCE

Bishkek, July 17, 2019 /Kabar/. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic Chingiz Aidarbekov yesterday, July 16 received OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir, the press service of the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry reported.
The sides discussed the issues of cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in the sphere of ensuring freedom of speech and freedom of the media.
The minister noted the importance of active work with the media, social networks and the need to increase experience in countering such phenomena as fake news. The sides noted the role of the fact-checking institution (the act of checking factual assertions in non-fictional text in order to determine the veracity and correctness of the factual statements in the text) and the effectiveness of workshops and trainings for representatives of the mass media and employees of the Kyrgyz Republic’s public authorities press services.
Dezir emphasized the high level of pluralism in Kyrgyzstan and noted the country's significant achievements and commitment to OSCE obligations to ensure freedom of expression and media freedom. The OSCE representative positively assessed the improvement of Kyrgyzstan's position in the rating of freedom of speech of the Reporters Without Borders International Organization, according to which the Kyrgyz Republic ranks 83rd out of 180 countries.
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir has arrived in Kyrgyzstan to participate in the 21st OSCE Central Asia Media Conference "Media Freedom and pluralism in times of digital transformation", which will be held on 17-18 July 2019 in Bishkek, and expressed gratitude for the assistance in organizing the event.
During the two-day event, some 100 participants representing media, government and civil society from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, as well as guests from Mongolia and several international experts will discuss a wide range of issues, including the development of the online media landscape, issues related to the regulation of the online media and the protection of freedom of expression, and latest media freedom developments in the region.