OSCE trains customs and border officers in Turkmenistan on maritime border control procedures and security management

TURKMENBASHI, Turkmenistan, 20 July 2012 – An OSCE-supported training course on innovative land and maritime border control procedures and security management mechanisms concluded in Turkmenbashi, a city on Turkmenistan’s Caspian coast, today.

The five-day specialized course brought together 17 representatives of Turkmenistan’s State Border Service, the State Customs Service and the Turkmenbashi Port Authority.  Several sessions of the course were conducted in the passenger and cargo inspection sectors of the Turkmenbashi International Seaport.

The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized the event. “The course objective is to stimulate the use of innovative practices in effective maritime security management, including land and coastal security procedures and safety operations, in Turkmenistan,” said Ambassador Ivo Petrov, the Head of the OSCE Centre.

During the course, two experts from OSCE participating States addressed matters related to international border crossing procedures, management of marine border checkpoints, access control, and screening and inspection of vessels techniques, as well as practices of illegal border crossing and dealing with conflict cases. Participants also discussed practical examples involving advance screening techniques and passport and travel document control procedures, and learned the essentials of the internationally recognized maritime security protocols, such as the International Ship and Port Facility Security Operations Code and Customs-Trade Partnership against Terrorism.