OSCE Office supports border co-operation workshop for Afghan and Tajik senior border officers
DUSHANBE, 2 June 2010 - A four-day OSCE workshop for senior officers to foster cross-border co-operation between Tajikistan's Border Troops and the Afghan Border Police concludes in Dushanbe tomorrow.
"This workshop, which follows a similar event in 2009, aims to provide participants with concrete ideas on how the Tajik Border Troops and the Afghan Border Police could enhance concrete and practical co-operation in countering cross-border threats and in facilitating efficient cross-border traffic," said Klaus Rasmussen, the Officer-in-Charge of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan.
"The active participation of senior representatives from both the Tajik Border Troops and Afghan Border Police in this workshop demonstrates the high interest in, and commitment to, developing co-operation."
During the workshop, which began on Monday, the participants studied the so-called border delegate co-operation model used successfully by many OSCE participating States. The agenda included a series of lectures and group exercises on topics such as joint investigations, risk analysis, operations and exercises, information exchange and joint annual work plans.
Four experienced border delegate experts from the Finnish Border Guard and the Russian Border Service led the workshop and shared their countries' experiences with cross-border co-operation. The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Dushanbe offered a session on asylum seekers and refugees in the context of cross-border co-operation.
The workshop was held as part of work to implement a 2007 OSCE Ministerial Council decision on OSCE engagement with Afghanistan.