OSCE donates equipment to State Border Service of Turkmenistan

ASHGABAT, 30 July 2015 – The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat donated non-lethal paramilitary equipment and outfit worth some 167,500 euros to the State Border Service of Turkmenistan today. The official handover ceremony took place at the headquarters of the State Border Service in Ashgabat and was attended by the high ranking border officials. 

“We believe this equipment will help enhance the capacities and capabilities of the State Border Service of Turkmenistan in protecting national borders and cope with challenges and threats caused by illegal cross-border movements, or emanating from the instability in neighboring countries,” said Ambassador Ivo Petrov, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

The donation of equipment was done as part of an OSCE extra-budgetary project on strengthening border guard capacities in Turkmenistan launched last year and implemented with the financial support from the governments of Germany, Luxembourg and the United States. The project also included two extended training courses for Turkmen border guards at the Imamnazar border crossing with Afghanistan: a six-week general patrol training course conducted last year and a specialized course delivered in April-May this year.