DUSHANBE, October 10, 2008, Asia-Plus — On Thursday October 9, the British Ambassador to Tajikistan, Mr. Graeme Loten, started his weeklong visit to the Rasht Valley and Gorno Badakhshan.
According to the UK Embassy in Dushanbe, during this visit the Ambassador is accompanied by a delegation from the Embassy and a group of journalists from Dushanbe.
The first aim of this visit is to announce the results of the competition for projects managed by representatives of civil society, which was launched in the Rasht Valley during the Ambassador’s previous visit to the area in June.
Amongst the project proposals which the Embassy will be financing are a mini hydroelectric power station in Tagoba village of Rasht district and some capacity-building training organized by the NGO “Marifatnoki” also in Rasht. An internet café will also be established and a sports stadium built under this program.
On his way to the Pamirs, Mr. Loten and his delegation will visit Tavildara district where they will familiarize themselves with the current social and economic situation there and later they will be visiting the district of Vanj in Gorno Badakhshan.
At the end of the visit the Embassy delegation will be paying a visit to some of the border outposts on the Tajik-Afghan border, which have been renovated under the European Union’s BOMCA program with financing directly received from the British government.
“We are very pleased that we have been able to assist Tajikistan’s Border Guards with some new accommodation as their challenging task along the border with Afghanistan is of direct interest to us in Europe,” said Mr. Loten. “Drugs are a global problem and stopping the trafficking of drugs over this difficult border requires an international solution.” Specifically, the Ambassador will be reviewing progress at the Dashti Yazgulom border outpost in Vanj as well as attending the opening ceremony of Yoged border outpost.
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At the construction site in Nurobod |
The British Government has made two substantial financial contributions as a cost-sharing partner within the BOMCA program in Tajikistan. During the period April 2005 to December 2006, €2 million was provided for a variety of border management and counter narcotics projects in the Gorno Badakhshan province of Tajikistan, mainly on: the construction of a Drug Detecting Dogs’ Center in Khorog; the construction of three border crossing points; and the provision of communications equipment for border posts along the Tajik-Afghan border.
A further contribution of £500,000 was received under the current border outposts upgrading project, under which three border outposts have been upgraded, one of which is Yoged border outpost, and one border post – Dashti Yazgulom – built from new.
Both of the outposts which will be visited by the Embassy delegation were provided with substantially improved facilities, including accommodation, storage, cooking, laundry and training rooms.
