OSCE Secretary General meets with Commander of Tajikistan’s Border Troops, attends donation of EU-funded technical equipment

To support the vital work in maintaining the security of Tajikistan, its border troops have received protective, technical and transport equipment for use along the border with Afghanistan.  

In a ceremony on 6 June 2022 in Dushanbe, the OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid, the Commander of the Border Troops, Colonel-General Rajabali Rahmonali and Ambassador of the European Union to Tajikistan, Marilyn Josefson, presented the equipment to officers of Tajikistan’s border troops.

The donation included 380 personal protective and survival equipment kits, eight desktop computers with LCD monitors and two vehicles, which would be used for field operations by Tajik border officers serving along the 1,350 kilometer border with Afghanistan.

At the ceremony, OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid said: “The co-operation between the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe and the Border Troops is contributing to security and stability in the whole region. We stand ready to further deepen our co-operation to address the challenges for Tajikistan stemming from instability in Afghanistan.”

Colonel-General Rajabali Rahmonali, Commander of the Border Troops of Tajikistan extended his gratitude for the OSCE’s continued co-operation in the area of border security and management, and his appreciation for the EU’s donation and financial assistance in implementing the project. He added: “The EU-funded project “Stabilization of Tajikistan’s southern border region with Afghanistan”, being implemented by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, is providing the border services with skills needed in responding to security incidents and effectively protecting the border.  Since the project began in 2020, over 500 border officers have participated in practical training on operational planning and sustaining field operations.  Currently, another group of 76 officers in the Sughd region are enhancing their skills on a similar operational capacity course.”

Marilyn Josefson, Ambassador of the European Union to Tajikistan said: “The first phase of the EU-funded project, that focuses on strengthening the capacity of the border troops in field-, operational-, and planning capacities, is successfully coming to a close. And the civil equipment that has been purchased to support the border guards work such as – 2 cars, 4 boats and 380 personal training kits and 8 laptops - will immediately come to good use along the Tajik-Afghan border.  Furthermore, we stay committed to continue supporting the security along the Tajik-Afghan border by providing additional training and infrastructure over the next 18 months. Hereby extending our close trilateral partnership with the OSCE and the Tajik Border troops.”

The donation of technical equipment is part of the OSCE’s project on the “Stabilization of Tajikistan’s southern border region with Afghanistan”, funded within the framework of the EU Neighbourhood Development and International Cooperation Instrument. The project aims to increase the professional capacity of both Tajikistan’s Border Troops and Afghan Border Services to better tackle illicit activities in border areas.

The project also aims to strengthen the capacity of the Committee on Emergency Situations and Civil Defense to respond to natural disasters in border regions.