In the light of the deteriorating political and humanitarian situation in Kyrgyzstan, Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has sent the Federal Foreign Office Deputy Director-General responsible for Central Asia, Ambassador Patricia Flor, to hold talks in the region and in Kyrgyzstan. Ambassador Flor is due to arrive in Bishkek on Friday.

Yesterday the Federal Foreign Minister discussed the humanitarian situation in Kyrgyzstan in detail with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), António Guterres.

In a first move, to ease the suffering of the many refugees in southern Kyrgyzstan in particular, the Federal Foreign Minister made available an immediate EUR 500,000 in humanitarian aid, half going to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and half to UNHCR. Further measures are being looked into.