OSCE Mission to Skopje praises completion of border handover

Skopje, 30 August 2005 - The OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje today praised the Ministries of Defense and Interior on the successful transfer of border control from the military to the border police.

"The final transfer at the border with Albania marks the end of all military responsibility in internal security and an important step in the development of the police service," said Ambassador Carlos Pais, Head of the OSCE Mission.

"A key element of this transfer is that the new border police will be able to develop long-term relationships with the communities along the border," explained Ambassador Pais. "Co-operation with local residents is an important part of effective border management and security in general."

The OSCE assisted the Ministry of Interior with the basic training of the border police by contributing to curriculum development and the creation of the practical training excercises and by developing the capacity of the Ministry's training team.