OREANDA-NEWS. April 25, 2011. The Turkmen capital hosted the 65th meeting of the CIS Council of Border Troops Commanders. The meeting participants considered the approaches to promoting collaboration between these structures and exchanged experiences in maintaining and strengthening peace and security on the borders of the region and the CIS.

The welcoming address of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was presented at the opening ceremony. The Turkmen leader wished the meeting participants every success in fulfilling the tasks assigned to them to bring effective collaboration to a new level to ensure reliable protection of state borders, strengthen peace and protect our countries from external threats and risks, international terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, transnational crime.

This is the fifth meeting of this kind hosted by the Turkmen capital, and the fact that Ashgabat became again the venue for a meeting of heads of border guard departments of different countries is vivid evidence for worldwide recognition of the importance of the constructive peace-building initiatives put forward by the Turkmen state to ensure global security and stable progress.

The participants of the meeting of the CIS Council of Border Troops Commanders focused on the usefulness of existing collaboration between the relevant services of the frontier troops and the need to promote this cooperation.

The meeting participants discussed the issues related to carrying out joint prevention activities, elaborating concerted actions aimed at guaranteeing inviolability and security of state borders and the joint action plan for 2012 and identified the new promising areas of partnerships.

The positive experience of Turkmenistan, the borders of which are the borders of peace, good neighbourliness and friendship was evaluated highly during the meting. Through the open door policy pursued by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov policy the Turkmen state has established broad and mutually advantageous cooperation with the business communities of many countries of the world creating the conditions mostly conducive to promoting goods and technologies that along with the measures to develop transport infrastructure enable to implement the potential of our country as an important crossroads on trade routes of the continent. However, the way to drug trafficking, any manifestations of extremism and terrorism and global threats is blocked on the borders of Turkmenistan.

In this regard and given the tremendous measures taken by President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to modernize the frontier forces of the country, improve the conditions of service and life of frontier guards, promote cooperation between the relevant services of the frontier troops of countries of the region the decision of the CIS Council of Border Troops Commanders to award the insignia “For outstanding services in strengthening borders of the CIS states” and the badge “For distinguished services in protecting borders of the CIS states” to the leader of the Turkmen state.

Summing up the meeting, the participants expressed sincere gratitude to the President of Turkmenistan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan General of the Army Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov for hospitality extended to the Turkmen land and the conditions conducive to the fruitful and active work of the Council. They were unanimous that the meeting in Ashgabat would contribute to enhancing further mutual understanding and cooperation among these services for peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

The members of the delegations of the border guard departments of the CIS states visited a frontier post of the State Border Guard Service of Turkmenistan to see the conditions created there for service, life and recreation of frontier guards and share practical experiences.