Regional explosive ordnance disposal course for specialists from Tajikistan and Afghanistan completed with OSCE support

DUSHANBE, 26 September 2014 – A ten-day regional Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) course level 1, facilitated by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan concluded in Dushanbe today.

Twenty students from Tajikistan and Afghanistan attended the training course, with this course being the first of its kind for the participants from Afghanistan. It marks the beginning of a comprehensive train-the-trainer programme, in accordance with international standards on mine action. The trainers will receive EOD certificates that will enable them to disseminate the information further.

“Not only does technical co-operation result in closer interaction and dialogue on common concerns related to explosive hazards, but it also complements confidence and security-building processes in Central Asia and Afghanistan,” said Flemming Splidsboel Hansen, Head of the OSCE Office’s Politico-Military Department.

Muhabbat Ibrohimzoda, Director of Tajikistan National Mine Action Centre, said: “The Tajikistan National Mine Action Centre welcomes these kinds of regional training programmes that raise the number of certified trainees who know the international standards and can apply them further”.

Sergeant James S. Garton, Senior Training Instructor from Army Central Command of United States of America, stated that the only way to address the concerns and challenges of explosive hazards in the region is through developing proficient national capacities. “Training courses will contribute to raising the professional level of the EOD services in Tajikistan and Afghanistan”, said Garton.

The course, second in 2014, was hosted by Tajikistan’s Defense Ministry and facilitated by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan in partnership with the U.S. Central Command, and supported by the Office for Military Co-operation of the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe.

Since 2009, the OSCE has been supporting the development of co-operative mechanisms on a technical level among states in Central Asia and Afghanistan to address the concerns and challenges stemming from explosive hazards.