Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 19
By Huseyn Hasanov– Trend:
Officials from Turkmenistan’s Presidential Administration and the Ministry of Defense discussed best practices in enhancing ammunition stockpile security during an OSCE-organized study visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina that was concluded recently, the Ashgabat office of the OSCE said in a message.
The visit began with introductory presentations by representatives of the European Union Force (EUFOR) and the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina that gave a general overview of their activities in the field of small arms and light weapons (SALW) and conventional ammunition (CA) management.
The delegation visited the ammunition site at Doboj city where a newly established laboratory is located. Delegation members observed how chemical and thermal analysis of gun powder is made, as well as methods of ammunition disposal. They also visited the weapons storage site in Visoko city and the ammunition storage site in Krupa where they were shown warehouses recently refurbished in accordance with international standards of ammunition and weapons storage management.
“Small arms and light weapons and conventional ammunition continue to represent a serious threat to security in the OSCE region,” said Natalya Drozd, head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat. “In this regard, the OSCE participating States have adopted a number of key documents to regulate their production, transfer, storage, collection and destruction.”
She added that the Office remains committed to providing further support to the government of Turkmenistan in this field.
As part of the visit, delegation members held meetings with their counterparts at the Defense Ministry of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Discussions focused on the management of weapons and ammunition in the country’s armed forces and capacity building of life-cycle management of ammunition.
The study visit was organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, in close cooperation with the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Forum for Security Co-operation Support Unit at the OSCE Secretariat.