Afghan, Tajik customs officers complete OSCE, Austrian Finance Ministry training on customs risk management

Customs officers from Afghanistan and Tajikistan complete OSCE, Austrian Finance Ministry training on customs risk management in Dushanbe, 15 May 2013. (OSCE BMSC/Ilona Kazaryan)

DUSHANBE, 15 May 2013 - Today, seventeen senior and mid-level Afghan and Tajik customs officers successfully completed a week-long training course on customs risk management in prevention of smuggling trends and money laundering.

International practices to identify and detect fraud methods, threat assessment and risk analysis on smuggling and money laundering were among the topics discussed at the course co-organized with the Austrian Finance Ministry. The training programme demonstrated the best practices in trade and transport facilitation, relevant guidelines and recommendations and opened an important dialogue on a common framework for customs procedures.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Ambassador Markus Mueller, Acting Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, said: “These series of courses offer a detailed review and analysis of the good practices in customs procedures with a particular focus on risk management techniques that are a useful means to ensure enforcement, security and trade facilitation in the region.”

“The course aims to facilitate economic co-operation between the neighbouring countries and stimulate economic growth through increased legal trade and improved customs procedures,” said Manfred Semelka, an expert from the Austrian Finance Ministry.