Officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well as Russia are taking part in the two-day meeting, as are experts from the OSCE, the World Bank, UNODC, the Basel Institute on Governance and the Irish Garda Siochana.

"Organized crime is a serious security concern for the OSCE. This workshop will examine and identify ways in which regional law enforcement can improve their efforts in seizing and recovering the illegal proceeds of crime," said Kevin Carty, the OSCE Senior Police Adviser.

"It is important that we share the most up-to-date and effective techniques law enforcement can use to go after the assets of criminal groups, especially when the investigations cross borders and involve other jurisdictions."

The workshop was organized by the OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, the OSCE Centre in Astana, the World Bank and UNODC. The governments of Liechtenstein and the United States provided financial support.

Jeannette Kloetzer, the Acting Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana, added: "We would like to draw attention to the fact that the fight against terrorist financing and the legitimization of criminal assets is not limited to within national borders. International co-operation is highly necessary since money laundering and terrorism have a transboundary character and represent real threats to regional security and stability."

"In this respect, the participation of delegates from Central Asian countries in the present workshop is important for building regional co-operation and strengthening cross-border contact between law enforcement bodies."