OSCE-organized 11-month programme concludes

On Friday 25 officers of the Border Police, Patrol Police and Revenue Service graduated from an OSCE-organized training course on fighting terrorism. The course was part of the OSCE Mission’s Transitional Institutional Support Programme, which included training in fighting terrorism and trans-border organized crime, crisis and risk management, criminal procedure code, threat assessment and senior management skills.

The 11-month programme, funded in part by Finland, the Republic of Austria and the Czech Republic involved the Border and Patrol Police and Revenue Service of Georgia and their counterparts in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. More than 450 Georgian officers participated in the programme, which also included 10 cross-border workshops at border crossing points between Georgia and Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey, that looked at the practical aspects of cooperation and introduced Georgia’s Integrated Border Management Strategy.

The head of the OSCE Mission to Georgia, Ambassador Terhi Hakala, congratulated the graduates on the successful conclusion of the programme. “I am confident that the knowledge you acquired during the training will benefit you and your respective agencies. I would like to reiterate that promoting border security and management is one of the major priorities of OSCE institutions. I am personally very proud that the OSCE Mission in Georgia has contributed towards strengthening border security management in this country. We are encouraged by the feedback from the agencies and that delivered to the OSCE offices in Baku and Yerevan. This feedback shows that the programme has helped Georgia improve its border management,” said Ambassador Hakala.

Deputy Interior Minister and head of the Border Police Zaza Gogava, who also attended the graduation ceremony, thanked the OSCE Mission for its cooperation and assistance. He told the officers that it is necessary to use the knowledge acquired during the training in real life. “I hope you will implement the skills you have gained during the training within your agencies and use them for the good of our country,” Gogava said.

The head of the Georgian Patrol Police, Giorgi Grigalashvili, said it was very important that representatives of different agencies were being trained together. He expressed his hope that the training would not be only a “formality.” “I hope that you will share your knowledge with your colleagues too,” Grigalashvili told the trainees.