The EU-funded Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA 10) held the second round of National Project Steering Group meetings (NSG) in Uzbekistan, in order to review the progress of its second implementation year and define plans for the upcoming period. On October 02, a stakeholder meeting was held in Tashkent, gathering Uzbek national counterparts directly involved in the project’s implementation.

In his welcoming remarks, Reinis Trokša, Ambassador of Latvia to Uzbekistan, stressed the importance of the EU-funded programme in the Central Asian region and its impact on border guard institutions of Uzbekistan:

«Every year this meeting is an excellent opportunity for dialogue within the BOMCA Programme. The Government of Uzbekistan is pleased to look at the progress achieved as well as discussing future plans. During the tenth phase of BOMCA, this programme has been one of the most important instruments in supporting the European Union - Central Asia connectivity strategy. And this aims to enhance  cooperation among the countries of the region. The Programme has  plenty of capacity to support National Border institutions, but the most important thing – it’s created platforms for cooperation among the institutions of all five Central Asian countries. And we know that Uzbekistan is playing a critical role in promoting intra-regional cooperation at all levels. Many of the success stories were possible because of initiatives of Uzbekistan. In the last meeting of the heads of Central Asian states, the president of Uzbekistan came up with complete proposals regarding the cross-border cooperation, as well as for enhancing security. And given the current situation and challenges in the region, as well as a priorities of the Central Asian governments, I think the Programme has become even more important», he said.

Mr. Sabir Urinboev, Head of Border Control Department, Border Guard Forces of the State Security Service of Uzbekistan, succinctly underlined their interest in  continuous cooperation with the programme and summed up its efforts to date:

“Our cooperation with BOMCA Programme gave good results,” he said.