Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat hosed the eleventh conference of the Central Asia Border Security Initiative (CABSI) on October 2 to 3, local Turkmen media reported.

The agenda of the two-day conference organized by the Turkmen government jointly with the Austria's Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs, the European Union (EU) and the UN Development Program (UNDP), included improving the border security level and facilitating trade and the movement of people across the border as one of the methods of economic development.

The conference is attended by the delegations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, China, Japan, Russia, the U.S., Turkey, Austria as well as heads and representatives of the diplomatic missions in Turkmenistan, permanent representation of the UNDP, UN regional center for preventive diplomacy in Central Asia, Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Organization for Migration, the International Center for Migration Policy Development as well as the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre for combating the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors.

CABSI was formed in 2003 by Austria's Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs to coordinate program activities and strategic objectives of the Border Management Program in Central Asia (BOMCA) funded by the European Union (EU).

The border infrastructure, equipment and procedures have been modernized over the last decade in the region thanks to the efforts of Central Asian countries in close cooperation with bilateral, regional and international donors.

At this stage, one of the key issues discussed within CABSI are the possible consequences of reducing the international forces in Afghanistan and the situation in the field of border security and managing the northern border of Afghanistan.