OSCE Centre supports course on border management in Kazakhstan

MERKE, Kazakhstan, 6 June 2008 - Passport control, countering human trafficking and new techniques used to check vehicles were among the topics at an OSCE-supported training course for Kazakh border guards that ends in Merke today.

The five-day workshop, held at Merke border crossing between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, gathered some twenty border officials from different regions of the country and was conducted by local experts and experts from Poland. Participants learned about border procedures in various European countries and database systems used there, such as the Schengen Information System.

"The OSCE Border Security Concept creates a political framework for co-operation on border-related issues," said Valeriu Chiveri, the OSCE Centre in Astana's Political Officer.

"Through closer co-operation in the field, international organizations can complement each others efforts in responding to requests for assistance from participating States in border security and management."

During the training course, Kazakh border guards were joined by their Kyrgyz counterparts for a session to discuss the co-ordination of border activities and border management.

The course was organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana, the International Organization for Migration's Mission in Kazakhstan, the EU Border Management Programme for Central Asia, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in co-operation with the Kazakhstan Border Service.

A similar training course was held last year at the Kordai checkpoint on the border with Kyrgyzstan.