UNODC Supported a New Border Liaison Office Opened on the Kazakh-Kyrgyz Border

Today, the Border Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Central Asia has inaugurated the opening of a new border liaison office (BLO) at Kazakh-Kyrgyz 24-hours international border-crossing point "Kordai" on the south of Kazakhstan.

"The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, represented by Ms. Ashita Mittal, actively participates in the joint guarding of the state border", said Mr. Darkhan Dilmanov, Director of the Border Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan. "These are the trainings conducted, thanks to which our military personnel obtained certain skills, technical support provided by the organization and which we use in protecting the state border and, most importantly, this is a further desire to invest in us, in the border guards of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Equipment and acquired knowledge help us".  He also thanked Ms. Mittal for the work done.

According to Ms. Ashita Mittal, UNODC Regional Representative in Central Asia, the establishment of the BLOs on the Kazakh-Kyrgyz Border is an important benchmark of UNODC border cooperation component activities in Central Asia and it is aimed to enhance inter-agency, transborder cooperation and intelligence-sharing aimed at countering illicit trafficking, detecting and intercepting contraband, including narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals, while facilitating legitimate international trade.

"Japan, realizing the need for regional cooperation in combating terrorism and countering drugs, is ready to explore the possibility of this cooperation in strengthening border controls in the countries of Central Asia and Afghanistan, since the stability of the region in terms of global challenges is generally closely related to the security of international community", said Mr. Hideaki Yamazumi, head of the political department of the Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Kazakhstan, who read the message of His Excellency Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Kazakhstan Mr. Tatsuhiko Kasai. He also expressed the hope that the BLO based on "Kordai" checkpoint will make a significant contribution to strengthening regional security.

The BCP "Kordai" is one of the biggest international 24-hour working checkpoints of Kazakhstan and thus is could be considered as a potential high-risk border crossing point for drug trafficking from Afghanistan via Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to Russia. The BLOs will help expanding cooperation between the border agencies at national and cross border level in the border security and other matters, and also mutual participation in the events organized at the borders.

The UNODC Programme also opens a training classroom at the Kordai BCP with a computer-based interactive multimedia training programme (CBT). CBT class is a comprehensive law enforcement-training programme that supports, enhances and links with UNODC overall drug control and crime prevention strategies in the region, adjusted for legal, procedural, language and cultural aspects of the Central Asian states.

With support of BLOs in Central Asia, the grounds for inter-agency and cross-border communication, coordination and cooperation have been set at the selected border crossing points (BCPs). Up to date, 15 BLOs have been established at the Tajik-Afghan, Uzbek-Afghan, Tajik-Uzbek, Kyrgyz-Tajik and Kyrgyz-Uzbek and Kyrgyz-Kazakh borders. Each country assigned staff for establishment of the BLOs and allocated premises at the BCPs, while technical assistance was provided through organizing training courses and sufficient basic equipment to support operation of the offices.

The event is a part of the «Countering the trafficking of Afghan opiates via the northern route by enhancing the capacity of key border crossing points and through the establishment of Border Liaison Offices» component of the UNODC Programme for Central Asia 2015-2019, and funded by the Government of Japan.

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For more information, please contact

Vasilina Brazhko (Ms.),

National Communication/PR Officer, UNODC/ROCA

cell. +996 775 98 78 17, e-mail: vasilina.brazhko[at]unodc.org