DUSHANBE, March 31, Asia-Plus  -- A ceremony of handover of special equipment to Tajikistan’s Customs Service will be held in Dushanbe today afternoon, Asia-Plus has learned from the US Embassy in Dushanbe.  

The source at the US Embassy said that the equipment is handed over within the framework of the Export Control and Related Border Security Assistance (EXBS) Program.

US Ambassador to Tajikistan, Ms. Tracey Ann Jacobson, and Tajik Customs Service chief, Lieutenant-General Gurez Zaripov, will attend the equipment-handover ceremony.  

The EXBS is managed through the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Nonproliferation, and Office of Export Control Cooperation.  The program provides technical assistance and advice to Customs and Border Protection services in the host country.  In addition, it provides legal advice on Export Control Law and licensing processes to government and industry through the U.S. Department of Commerce.  The focus of the program is on Nonproliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, their components, and export control of dual use products.

The program in Tajikistan was started in 2002 shortly after the events of September 11 shook the world.  The program is focusing on building the capacity, capability, and effectiveness of the Tajik border troops and customs services.