DUSHANBE (TCA) — The Government of Japan has provided 267 million Japanese yens (approx. $2.26 million) to the project of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) aimed at strengthening capacities of law enforcement agencies of Tajikistan responsible for border control between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, as well as enhancing the border security in Tajikistan’s Khatlon region, UNODC said.
The official ceremony of signing the Exchange Notes between the Embassy of Japan to Tajikistan and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime took place on March 9 at the Embassy of Japan in Tajikistan with participation of high level representatives of the Government of Tajikistan and UNODC.
Mr. Takashi Kamada, Charge d affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Japan in Tajikistan, emphasized: “The importance of Tajikistan’s role for the stability of Central Asia is evident, especially with the volatile situation in Afghanistan. The government of Japan has been supporting Tajikistan in border areas up until now.”
The project will assist Border Troops of the State Committee of National Security of the Republic of Tajikistan in enhancing the level of expertise of officers at crossing and establishing working, intelligence-sharing and communications mechanisms between the agencies employed there, in particular at the area of Shaartuz Border Guard Force. This area of the border is considered as the most vulnerable in terms of drug trafficking.
The establishment of Border Liaison Offices (BLOs) equipped with an adequate enforcement mandate, resources and the capacity to move quickly along the shared borders is a prerequisite to effectively turning intelligence and inter-agency cooperation into successful interdictions. In this manner, BLOs are intended to form a regional response against all forms of smuggling, including drugs, arms and human trafficking. The project envisions that the experience and enhanced law enforcement capacities will enable communication and trans-border cooperation between countries of the region.
The project will focus on upgrading of the selected Border Crossing Points and on establishing of four new BLOs.
Infrastructure and capacity of Shaartuz Border Guard Force will be significantly strengthened within the project. At least two border posts Payvand and Hoshma and border post Tagnob, located along the “green” border on the Tajik-Afghan border will be constructed and equipped.
