DUSHANBE, July 20, 2012, Asia-Plus — Twenty-four senior border officers from Afghanistan and Tajikistan successfully completed a ten-day training course on border management at the OSCE Border Management Staff College yesterday.
The OSCE Office in Tajikistan reports fraudulent document and contraband detection, behavior and interview analysis, trafficking in human beings, human rights and the management techniques were among the topics of the seminar co-organized with the EU-funded, UNDP-implemented Border Management Northern Afghanistan (BOMNAF) project. The main principles and guidelines of the OSCE Border Security and Management Concept were also presented at the course.
“Strengthening cross-border co-operation and information exchange, as well as enhancing the professional skills of Afghan and Tajik border officials, are the major goals of this course. The subjects taught here will help our participants to better guard their borders, which is a precondition for reducing cross-border crime, which in turn will contribute to regional security,” said Alexander Eliseev, Chief of Education of the OSCE Border Management Staff College.
“UNDP and the EU are pleased at this third concrete example of inter-agency collaboration to bring Afghans and Tajiks together as part of ongoing and joint efforts to create regional cooperation and open and secure border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. The Commander of the Tajik Border Force and the Commander of the Afghan Border Police have confirmed that this initiative has improved procedures at the border,” said William Lawrence, the BOMNAF Project Manager.
Abdul Mohammad Niromand, the Senior Officer of the Afghan Border Police, acknowledged the value of the course: “Here we significantly improved our knowledge on international standards and procedures for passport control and detection of imposters and contraband.”
This event is a part of a series of similar courses to be held in the framework of the BOMNAF project at the OSCE Border Management Staff College.