OSCE Border Management Staff College trains senior officers from Afghanistan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan

DUSHANBE, 10 December 2010 - Twenty senior border officers from across the OSCE area successfully completed the first one-month course for border staff at the OSCE Border Management Staff College (BMSC) today.

Officers and managers from border guards, customs and drug control agencies from Afghanistan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan received training on principles and standards of the OSCE border security and management concept. The comprehensive concept covers all dimensions of the OSCE's work, including economic and environmental aspects of border security, as well as human rights matters.

Ambassadors of OSCE participating States' Embassies, representatives of national governmental bodies and international organizations attended the ceremony.

"Numerous experts, agencies and organizations contributed to the preparation and successful implementation of this first staff course," said Ambassador Ivar Vikki, the Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan. "I strongly believe that the course has helped the participants to improve their understanding of border-related issues in all three OSCE dimensions - the knowledge they will take back home and apply in their practical work."

Handing out the certificates, Alain Scolan, the BMSC Principal, underlined that "the course also provided a unique opportunity for border professionals to exchange ideas and experiences."

Mohammad Nasim Safi from Afghan Border Police, one of the course participants, said: "Not only did this course offer us an opportunity to meet each other, share views and expertise, but it also helped us expand our knowledge of a variety of practical topics useful for our professional activities in the future."

The training course for senior border officers will now be offered on a regular basis throughout a year.