OSCE supports SALW and ammunition stockpiles security and management training in Turkmenistan

ASHGABAT, 27 April 2012 – Thirty-eight military officials from the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan successfully completed OSCE-supported training seminars on the physical security and stockpile management of small arms and light weapons (SALW) and conventional ammunition (CA) today in Ashgabat.

The two-week training seminars, organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat in close co-operation with the United States Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), presented international standards and best practices in arms and ammunition storage and security management. The team teaching the course included international experts from Canada, Germany, Switzerland and the US, jointly representing the Multinational Small Arms and Ammunition Group (MSAG).

During the first part of the seminars, executive-level officials of the Defence Ministry discussed the threat of SALW proliferation, risk management, emergency response and planning, as well as arms trafficking and border security. The second component included a five-day seminar for ammunition handlers and storage technicians to enhance capacity in ammunition storage, compatibility, surveillance and transportation mechanisms, as well as the management of external and internal security measures at ammunition depots.

“The OSCE Centre remains committed to providing technical assistance to Turkmenistan in the area of small arms and light weapons and conventional ammunition management, using best available OSCE practices in this area. These training seminars will contribute to the secure and safe management of state-controlled SALW and CA stockpiles, which in turn will reduce the risk of ammunition accidents and mismanagement,” said Ambassador Sergei Belyaev, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.