British Government signs Agreement to enhance Security of Tajik-Afghan border
On 4 June HMA Robin Ord-Smith and IOM Chief of Mission Tajma Kurt signed an agreement for an integrated cooperation programme along the Tajik Afghan border.
HM Ambassador Robin Ord-Smith (from left) and Tajma Kurt Head of Mission of IOM
The project, worth £1.2 M and designed to run until March 2015, follows a request from the Tajik and Afghan governments to help enhance the capacity of the their border services to improve cross-border cooperation, improve local livelihoods and to tackle the trafficking of people, drugs and movement of extremist groups.
The British Ambassador said:
I am delighted that the British Government is able to help support this very important area of capacity building for Tajikistan and Afghanistan. By enhancing the capabilities of Border Services in this way we hope to contribute to the governments’ desire to effectively tackle the illegal movement of narcotics, migrants and potential extremists and contribute to stability across the region.
Tajma Kurt, Chief of Mission of IOM in Tajikistan noted:
On behalf of the International Organization for Migration, I would like to thank the UK Government for the support to this particular programme whose main aim is to enhance the cooperation between Tajikistan and Afghanistan in preventing and mitigating violence and criminality in the border areas.
Specifically, the programme aims to build the trust and improve the capacity of Tajik and Afghan border management services, civil society, and border communities to reduce the drivers of conflicts in the region.
For its part, the International Organization for Migration has been a cooperating partner with the Government of Tajikistan since 1993, focusing its efforts on building the state’s capacity in the areas of border control and management, enhancing the capacity of the state agencies in managing migration processes and combating trafficking in human beings, and improving the well-being of migrants and their families.
This project continues the British Government’s long running collaboration with the IOM and our commitment to providing the means by which security concerns in Central Asia, particularly along the Afghan border, can be effectively met.