Study tourSenior law enforcement officials from Turkmenistan's State Drug Control Service, State Customs Service, State Migration Service and Presidential Apparatus went on a study tour to be trained on cross-border cooperation in the fight against illegal drug trafficking to Thailand. The mission was organized jointly by the UNODC Project Office in Turkmenistan and the UNODC Regional Centre for East Asia and the Pacific in Thailand.
The UNODC Regional Centre for East Asia and the Pacific has significant experience implementing projects aimed at strengthening cross border cooperation through creating liaison structures and facilitating ongoing cooperation with 6 participating countries including Cambodia, China, Lao, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam. Additionally, the Regional Centre has successfully establishment of about 70 Border Liaison Offices (BLOs). The purpose of the study tour was to introduce the participants to the experiences and best practices in creating cross-border cooperation mechanisms and Border Liaison Office system (BLO) between Thailand and neighboring countries. It is believed Turkmenistan delegation will leave South East Asia carrying with them new ideas on how to improve border cooperation mechanisms between Turkmenistan and its neighboring countries.
The mission was carried out under the UNODC project "Strengthening Turkmen-Afghan border of Turkmenistan, particularly "Imam Nazar" checkpoint". One of the main objectives of the project is to promote cross-border cooperation between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan's border control agencies.