An online course on modernizing seaport controls in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic was hosted by the OSCE Center in Ashgabat. This was reported by "Turkmenistan: Golden Age".
The event was attended by 22 operational officers representing the Ministry of Defense, the Transport Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry, the State Border, Customs and Migration Services, the General Prosecutor's Office, as well as the “Turkmendenizderyayollary” Maritime Transport Agency and the Turkmenbashi International Seaport Administration.
The international expert who conducted the training course spoke about the experience in the field of maritime security and modern methods of increasing the responsibility of law enforcement agencies, border services, port and quarantine officers working in the international seaport of Turkmenbashi on the coast of the Caspian Sea.
Classes were held on the concept and responsibilities of maritime security, port security assessment and planning, emergency preparedness and security administration, threat identification and response.
The topic of gender balance in the area of port and border security was also touched upon. The trainer highlighted the impact of the ongoing pandemic crisis on seaports and maritime checkpoints, leading to the introduction of additional security and protection measures, increased documentation procedures for passengers crossing borders, quarantine requirements for freight traffic and additional medical checks.
William Leaf, Political Adviser, OSCE Center in Ashgabat:
“The global pandemic has brought about changes in border security and management of the safe movement of people and goods across borders, seaport logistics and international transport chains. With the COVID-19 crisis, business continuity plans and emergency response mechanisms are more important than ever. Seaports play an important role in the supply chain and it is important that security personnel are responsible for their part of security management and the overall protection of port facilities.”
The training was held as part of the long-term programmatic activities of the OSCE Center in Ashgabat to assist the government of Turkmenistan in strengthening border security management strategies and mechanisms, the source said.
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