Turkmen officers attended in OSCE regional border management training
Twenty-five mid-and senior-level officers from the border guard forces of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan attended a regional course at the OSCE Border Management Staff College (BMSC) in Dushanbe.
The training was organized within the framework of the OSCE Border Security and Management Concept jointly by the Ashgabat OSCE Centre, OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe and the EU-UNDP Border Management Northern Afghanistan (BOMNAF) project.
The two-week course was aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and inter-agency information exchange on security issues in the region, in the practical solution of which the key role is given to effective interaction between Turkmen, Tajik and Afghan border guards.
Participants of the event guided by a team of international experts considered a wide range of topics. In particular, they discussed the role of cross-border cooperation in ensuring a stable situation on the borders and methods of countering transnational organized crime. The training program also covered such issues as risk assessment and profiling of passengers in order to identify potentially dangerous persons capable of illegal actions.
Part of the training focused on the humanitarian aspects of cooperation related to the treatment of asylum-seekers and refugees, trade facilitation and socio-economic development of border areas.
In her address, Ambassador Natalia Drozd, the head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, thanked the governments of three countries for their participation in this important regional seminar.
Jonathan Holland, BMSC Director, also noted that the event, which is a continuation of constructive work with colleagues in Ashgabat, serves as a good example of cooperation between Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan, which will contribute to efforts to ensure border security in the region.
Zaza Berozashvili, international expert on the fight against transnational organized crime, who was one of the trainers, stressed that despite the considerable steps taken by Afghanistan to counter transnational threats, it is necessary to recognize the important role played by the country's neighbors in ensuring regional security.
As repeatedly emphasized by the Turkmen leader at the meetings of the state security council, the state border of Turkmenistan should always remain the border of friendship with all neighboring countries. A huge responsibility for the maintenance of stability and law order on the frontiers of the country is entrusted to the border guards. In this regard, in accordance with the military doctrine, Turkmenistan pays close attention to the issues of training and professional development of military personnel, including officers.
The length of the Turkmen-Afghan border is 744 km, the Afghan-Tajik border is 1344.15 km.
BMCS, established in 2009, operates under the OSCE office in Tajikistan. Since its opening, the College held more than a hundred specialized courses and thematic events with the participation of more than two thousand officials from border guards, border police, customs, drug control and transnational crime agencies from OSCE member-countries and partners for cooperation.
