OSCE meeting on reform of Azerbaijan's border service opens in Baku
(OSCE)Lieutenant General Elchin Guliyev, commander-in-chief of the Azeri Border Service speaks to journalists at an OSCE/ODIHR roundtable on border service reform, Baku 2003. (OSCE) Photo details
BAKU, 14 July 2003 - An OSCE roundtable on the reform of Azerbaijan's border guard service opened today in the Azeri capital, Baku. The two-day event, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Office in Baku, provides an opportunity for Azeri experts to get acquainted with the experience of European border services that have already undergone successful transformation from a military structure to a professional and demilitarized border police.
Opening the meeting this morning, Ambassador Peter Burkhard, the Head of the OSCE Office in Baku, said: "The Government of Azerbaijan should be commended for its forward-looking approach. Azerbaijan was one of the first countries in the region to tackle the reform of its border service."
The OSCE/ODIHR assistance programme in Azerbaijan supports the transformation of the country's border service from a military structure into a civilian structure. The goal is to develop a more efficient and secure border management while ensuring appropriate treatment of individuals leaving or entering the country in accordance with human rights standards.
The roundtable - the latest step in the long-term OSCE/ODIHR assistance programme - brings together representatives from the Azeri State Border Guard Service, the Ministry of National Security and the Ministry of Interior with experts from the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia.
Highlighting the importance of such international events, Lieutenant General Elchin Guliyev, the commander-in-chief of the Azeri Border Service, said: "We are faced with numerous threats such as terrorism, illegal migration, and international organized crime. A better and more efficient border management will lead to a more secure environment in the whole region."
Opening the meeting this morning, Ambassador Peter Burkhard, the Head of the OSCE Office in Baku, said: "The Government of Azerbaijan should be commended for its forward-looking approach. Azerbaijan was one of the first countries in the region to tackle the reform of its border service."
The OSCE/ODIHR assistance programme in Azerbaijan supports the transformation of the country's border service from a military structure into a civilian structure. The goal is to develop a more efficient and secure border management while ensuring appropriate treatment of individuals leaving or entering the country in accordance with human rights standards.
The roundtable - the latest step in the long-term OSCE/ODIHR assistance programme - brings together representatives from the Azeri State Border Guard Service, the Ministry of National Security and the Ministry of Interior with experts from the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia.
Highlighting the importance of such international events, Lieutenant General Elchin Guliyev, the commander-in-chief of the Azeri Border Service, said: "We are faced with numerous threats such as terrorism, illegal migration, and international organized crime. A better and more efficient border management will lead to a more secure environment in the whole region."