Vienna International Airport customs experts train Afghan and Tajik officers at OSCE Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe | WPN World People News

A graduation ceremony of a training course on investigation and risk management techniques in customs procedures took place at the OSCE Border Management Staff College.

The arrivals board at Vienna International Airport, 22 June 2012.

Experts from the Vienna International Airport Customs Office delivered the five-day training course to 19 mid- and senior-level officers from Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The course was co-organized with the Austrian Finance Ministry.

The course participants discussed international principles and mechanisms of customs investigations, risk analysis, detection of fraud and ways to react to it, customs clearance and transit procedures. This course is part of a broader training programme aimed at optimizing control operations, reducing risks of smuggling in customs institutions and facilitating trade exchange between the two neighboring countries of Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

"Any state`s growth very much depends on collecting and safeguarding customs duties, respecting customs rules and preventing smuggling. Our College supports Afghanistan and Tajikistan’s efforts to improve efficiency of customs administrations by training customs officers so that they can learn best practices from other countries and pass them on to their colleagues," said Alexander Eliseev, the Chief of Education at the OSCE Border Management Staff College.

Thomas Vagovics, an expert from the Vienna International Airport Customs Office Anti-Fraud and Investigation Unit said: “It was impressive to see the exchange of ideas and experiences between the three parties – Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Austria. Among other things, the focus was on the importance of customs validation. Our experts in this field introduced and demonstrated ways to determine the true value of goods presented at customs.”

Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe