OSCE promotes safe storage of small arms and light weapons in Turkmenistan

Ways of securely storing small arms and light weapons (SALW) and conventional ammunition (CA) were presented and discussed from 8 to 11 April 2013 in an OSCE technical seminar in Ashgabat.

Managers and ammunition handlers in Turkmenistan Army weapons storage facilities learned  innovative methods and best international practices from the OSCE region in physical security and stockpile management of small arms and light weapons and conventional ammunition. They discussed technical matters related to arms security, ammunition compatibility and surveillance and participated in exercises on risk management and  ammunition re-warehousing.

“All participating States of the OSCE have committed to ensuring the secure storage and safe destruction of surplus stocks of small arms and light weapons and conventional ammunition,” said Ambassador Ivo Petrov, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat. “We believe that the seminar represents a contribution to Turkmenistan’s continuous efforts towards implementing relevant OSCE commitments.”

The four-day seminar was organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat in partnership with the United States Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). The expert team included representatives from the DTRA, Canadian Strategic Joint Staff Arms Control Verification Directorate, and the Verification Centre of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The technical seminar was supplemented by a meeting between the international experts and senior officials from the Defence Ministry of Turkmenistan to discuss thematic instructions on ammunition site management procedures that will be submitted for use by the Ministry before the end of 2013.