Officials from Tajik and Afghan customs services learn about enhancing electronic exchange of information at OSCE workshop in Dushanbe
The customs officials of Tajikistan and Afghanistan discussed existing and future frameworks for cooperation in the area of data exchange and analysis, Panji Poyon, 27 September 2016 (OSCE/Khabib Rahmonov)
DUSHANBE, 28 September 2016 – A workshop on the electronic exchange of customs information to facilitate legitimate trade and improve border crossing was the focus of a week-long workshop organized by the Border Unit of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan and conducted at the Office’s Border Management Staff College.
Nine officials from the Customs Department of Afghanistan’s Finance Ministry and 16 officials representing Tajikistan’s Customs Service took part.
The workshop emphasized the importance of reinforcing border management capacity and co-ordination between the neighbouring countries as the foundation for effective information exchange. Officials responsible for customs data exchange systems presented participants with the status of implementation of their respective data exchange systems, the possibilities for integration and the development of the data transfer network between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
“This workshop is in line with the OSCE Border Management Concept, adopted at the Ljubljana Ministerial Council in 2005, calling on the participating States to promote open and secure borders in a free, democratic and more integrated OSCE area without dividing lines,” said Vyacheslav Abramets, Border Management Advisor of the Political and Military Department of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan.
Alexander Eliseev, Chief of Education at the OSCE Border Management Staff College said that the event was developed to support Tajikistan and Afghanistan in implementing and strengthening the capacity to use a customs-to-customs information network that will secure electronic exchange of information with the aim of increasing security and reducing border crossing delays.
As part of the workshop participants also visited Tajikistan’s Customs Committee and the border crossing point between two countries where their customs officials discussed existing and future frameworks for co-operation in data exchange and analysis.
