The International Organization for Migration (IOM) office in Turkmenistan and the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized a workshop from 16 to 17 August on how to set up an Advance Passenger Information (API) system in Turkmenistan.
An API system is an electronic system through which biographic data from a traveller’s passport and flight details are collected by airlines and transmitted to the relevant national authorities at the border, before the departure or arrival of a specific flight.
By checking the data against law enforcement watch lists, such as those of INTERPOL, border officials can know in advance whether FTFs or other suspicious individuals are attempting to enter their country.
15 representatives from all agencies involved in passenger processing in Turkmenistan took part in the event, including the State Migration Service, the State Customs Service, the State Border Service, the Ministry for National Security, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the General Prosecutor’s Office, the OSCE office in Ashgabat reports.
On 14 16 August 2018, the OSCE Mobile Training Team delivered an interactive course on identifying foreign terrorist fighters for officers of Turkmenistan’s border and migration services in Ashgabat.
“Identification, current location and flow of returning foreign terrorist fighters remain an absolutely critical priority for international community nowadays,” said the Officer-in-Charge at the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, Natasa Rasic.