VIENNA, October 12. /Dunyo IA/.  An OSCE regional training course on the detection of firearms, ammunition and explosives has taken place in Tashkent, bringing together 15 border security and customs officers from five Central Asian countries, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

Training was hosted at the National Canine Centre of the Customs Committee of Uzbekistan. It was attended by specialists from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Program focused on developing practical operational capabilities to detect illicit firearms, ammunition, and explosives smuggled across borders. It also aimed at advancing the instructional capacity of canine units and introducing standardized assessment benchmarks for their performance.

Special emphasis was placed on conducting search operations in complex environments, including vehicle inspections and crowd screening.

Program also included training on service dog care, recognizing signs of stress, and maintaining their health to ensure constant readiness for operational tasks.

Participants discussed strengthening inter-agency cooperation, operational information sharing between countries and harmonizing standard operating procedures for canine units. Joint training and exchange of experience are designed to enhance the effectiveness of detecting smuggling channels and suppressing illicit activities at state borders.

Colonel Farrukh Qakhhorov, Director of the National Canine Centre of the Customs Committee of Uzbekistan, emphasized the importance of further developing professional contacts, conducting joint training and improving the training of dog handlers and service dogs.

Head of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, Ambassador Antti Karttunen, noted that the organization supports practical cooperation between border and customs services in addressing common security challenges. According to him, the course also enabled Uzbek instructors to share advanced experience acquired in the United Kingdom with their colleagues from five Central Asian countries.

Training was organized within the framework of an OSCE extrabudgetary project aimed at strengthening Uzbekistan's resilience to cross-border challenges. Financial support was provided by Germany, Sweden, the United States, Finland and France.