Twenty representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ transport police, the State Border Service, the State Customs Service, and the Aviation Security Service of the "Türkmenhowaýollary" State Service participated in an OSCE-organized training course on smuggling-related risk analysis and airport screening methods. The event took place in Ashgabat from August 3 to 7, 2026.

The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, in cooperation with the Turkish International Academy against Drugs and Organized Crime (TADOC), organized this training event to equip participants with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively combat smuggling at airports.

TADOC experts introduced participants to methods and strategies for countering smuggling, examining in detail the issues of risk assessment and the profiling of flights, passengers, cargo, and baggage. Participants discussed methods for identifying suspicious passenger behavior, procedures for passenger profiling from the entrance to the boarding gate, and techniques for effectively questioning and interrogating suspicious individuals.

In his welcoming remarks, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, William Leaf, referred to the Tirana Declaration on Strengthening Cooperation in Countering Transnational Organized Crime (MC.DOC/1/20 of 4 December 2020), which emphasizes the importance of enhancing national coordination and international cooperation in this area.

"This training event clearly demonstrates that the OSCE and its participating States have translated the political commitments of the Tirana Declaration into concrete practical support," stated William Leaf.

"All our efforts confirm the same point: the exchange of experience and cooperation in the region play a crucial role in countering transnational organized crime," he added.

The course also covered methods for verifying travel documents, screening tools, and techniques for detecting common methods of concealing narcotics. A practical session at Ashgabat International Airport enabled participants to apply comprehensive and systematic screening methods in a real-world setting.