DUSHANBE, January 22, 2014, Asia-Plus – The United States Embassy in Dushanbe, Export Control and Related Border Security program (EXBS) donated a new Customs Practical Exercise Training Area facility to the Government of Tajikistan.
According to the U.S. Embassy, a component of the Customs Training Academy, this facility will significantly aid the Customs Service in its ability to provide enhanced interdiction training to its personnel, particularly in the area of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), WMD –related items, and conventional arms, thus greatly improving their ability to interdict illicit material and other forms of contraband crossing the Tajik border.
Chief of Mission, Ambassador Susan Elliott participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony that took place on January 21 at the new Practical Exercise Training Area facility located at the Ayni Customs post in Dushanbe.
Ambassador Elliott remarked, “The United States Government shares the goals of the Government of Tajikistan to combat the threat of weapons of mass destruction and related goods, and recognizes that keeping Tajikistan’s borders secure is a national priority. Customs Officers serve with their Border Guard colleagues as a first line of defense for Tajikistan for external threats at the border crossing points, and are frequently required to undertake their critical mission with limited resources, in very difficult areas of the country, and often under very challenging weather conditions. The U.S. Embassy, through the EXBS program, is pleased to assist the Customs Service in its effort to enhance its training capacity which will enable it to better combat the threat of contraband, including the very real threat of weapons of mass destruction.”
The U.S. Embassy will continue to support the Customs Service through a partnership between U.S. Agencies in order to provide enhanced equipment, training and infrastructure improvements. Valued at over $2 million dollars the training facility donated today by the U.S. Embassy will ultimately add significantly to the Government of Tajikistan’s overall border security capabilities.
This facility is part of the many assistance projects the U.S. Embassy implements in Tajikistan on behalf of the American people. Since 1992, the American people have provided more than $1 billion dollars in assistance programs that support the economic growth, democratic institutions, health care, education and security systems of Tajikistan.
