DUSHANBE, February 28, 2012 Asia-Plus — The second regional meeting of CIS border service heads took place in Dushanbe today.
Senior representatives of border services from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as well as representatives of the Coordinating Service at the CIS Council of Border Troops Commanders, CIS Executive Committee and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) participated in the meeting.
A draft decision of the CIS Council of Heads of Government on additional measures to strengthen security on external borders of the CIS nations is the focus of the meeting.
Speaking at the meeting, Army General Vladimir Pronichev, Head of Border Service within Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), noted that instable situation in Afghanistan poses threat not only countries bordering Afghanistan, it poses threat to the entire post-Soviet area. “Moreover, the situation shows a downward tendency,” Russian general noted, adding that instable situation in Pakistan affects the situation in Afghanistan and on external borders of the CIS nations.
Touching upon an agreement between the Russian Federation and Tajikistan on border cooperation issues, Pronichev said, “A working group that has been set up has carried out work on the border and exposed threats evoking concern within the CIS area.” “Assistance will be provided to Tajik border guards,” Russia’s border service head stressed.
“We broke up twelve trans-border crime groups lately. They had been engaged in trafficking in drugs and human beings,” said Pronichev. “Taken timely measures will allow stabilizing the situation on the specific stretches of border.”
Major-General Nourshan Myrzaliyev, Director of Kazakhstan’s Border Service, noted that quite a large number of Tajik cadets now study at Higher Border Guard School in Kazakhstan. “They will make their contribution to further strengthening of management of Tajikistan’s border,” Myrzaliyev said.
Lieutenant-General Sherali Mirzo, Head of the Border Guard Directorate within Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security (SCNS) noted that the main objective of the meeting was in discussing further expansion of cooperation between the CIS border services in the Central Asian region.
The meeting resulted in signing of a protocol, recommendations of which are expected to be considered at a meeting of the CIS Council of Border Troops Commanders that will take place on April 26, 2012.
