UPDATE ON EUROPEAN BORDER SECURITY EFFORTS IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 000168

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, EXBS (JEFF HARTSHORN),INL (ANDREW BUHLER)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2018
TAGS: PBTS PREL PGOV ASEC UZ
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON EUROPEAN BORDER SECURITY EFFORTS IN
UZBEKISTAN

REF: 07 TASHKENT 1768

Classified By: POLOFF Steven Prohaska for reasons 1.4 (b, d).


1. (C) Summary: In a January 29 meeting with Emboffs, former
Chief Technical Advisor for the Border Management in Central
Asia Program, Pierre-Paul Antheunissens, provided an update
on the program's border security efforts in Uzbekistan. The
Border Management in Central Asia Program completed and
handed over border posts in Sokh, Mamyk, Vuadil, and
Madaniyat last August and September, and is hard at work on
another post in Kokand. The program has additional plans
including the construction of a border-crossing point for the
strategic location of Daut-ata in Karakalpakstan, and is
interested in joint work with CENTCOM on social projects in
border regions. End summary.


2. (C) Poloff, Export Control and Related Border Security
Advisor, and Export Control and Related Border Security
Assistant met with former Chief Technical Advisor for the
Border Management in Central Asia program, Pierre-Paul
Antheunissens, and his successor, Alisher Rasulov, on January
29 to discuss recent work on border security in Uzbekistan.
(Note: This program, known as BOMCA, is funded by the
European Union but implemented by the United Nations
Development Program. End note.) Antheunissens informed
Emboffs that he had just left his former position to take
over as director for the European Commission's Europa House,
which oversees all of the European Commission's technical
assistance projects. He anticipated continuing to interact
with Emboffs on border security issues in this new capacity.

Border Posts Handed to Uzbekistan, New One in the Works
-------------- --------------


3. (C) Antheunissens indicated that last August the Border
Management in Central Asia Program had handed over an
advanced border post in Sokh, capable of accommodating 60-75
border guards, and another post in Mamyk (an enclave in
Tajkistan) to Uzbekistan. In September, the program also
handed over newly-developed containerized rooms at Vuadil and
Madamiyat on the border with Kyrgyzstan. The Border
Management in Central Asia Program was very busy now,
Antheunissens said, and is building an advanced border post
at the Tinchlik point-of-entry in Kokand in the Ferghana
Valley. The post will use European technology and
environmentally-friendly solar panels, and he estimated that
it would take five to six months to finish constructing this
post.

Optimistic About Future Cooperation with Uzbekistan
-------------- --------------


4. (C) Relations between the European Commission and
Uzbekistan had not been very good last year, Antheunissens
continued. A regional action program for this year had been
cancelled, and some two million euros had instead been
distributed among the other four Central Asia countries.
Antheunissens was, nevertheless, hopeful that the Government
of Uzbekistan would sign on to a regional action program in
the near future which would allow several projects under
"BOMCA 7." These projects would include further construction
at a training center in Termez and dormitory facilities for
students, as well as a border crossing point in southern
Karakalpakstan at Daut-ata near Karakalpakiya. Antheunissens
said that Daut-ata was a strategic location on a trade
corridor between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.


5. (C) Rasulov also had several new initiatives planned for
Uzbekistan, Antheunissens noted. Rasulov was planning to
introduce solar panels to all border crossing points, and

wanted to work with Customs on a dog breeding program at the
Dog Training Center. The Border Management in Central Asia
Program remained very interested in improving international
coordination on border security assistance projects.
Antheunissens also expressed interest in pursuing social
projects in border areas, such as providing water to the
populace. He said that about two years ago, there had been
such a joint project between the program and CENTCOM, and
wondered if these efforts could be revived. Antheunissens
also said that he had an upcoming meeting with a number of
Customs officials, and would try to obtain a copy of the
recently-revised Uzbek Customs Code.


6. (C) Comment: Despite some difficulties, the Border
Management in Central Asia Program appears to have made
progress in promoting border security in Uzbekistan, most
notably with its completion of the several border posts.
Antheunissens' proposal to work jointly with CENTCOM on
social projects strikes us as a particularly interesting way
to win further support from the populace on border security
cooperation. Such social projects could counter the possible
perception that further border security infrastructure only
means an additional barrier to trade and contact with
cross-border friends and family.
NORLAND