Special Representative Ignacio Sanchez Amor (right) meets with BMSC Chief of Education Alexander Eliseev, 27 February.DUSHANBE, 27 February 2015 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Special Representative on OSCE Border Issues, Ignacio Sanchez Amor (MP, Spain), today visited the OSCE Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe, Tajikistan for meetings with BMSC Chief of Education Alexander Eliseev and Chief of Development and Outreach Ilona Kazaryan.

Special Representative Sanchez Amor was briefed on the academic and training curricula of the BMSC, which works to enhance the knowledge of senior border security and management officials from across the OSCE area and promote greater co-operation and exchange of information among them. Sanchez Amor was also briefed on the relationships that the BMSC maintains with donor countries and on the professional network that has emerged among graduates.

The Special Representative shared with his interlocutors the views expressed in the Parliamentary Assembly on the OSCE's most pressing border-related issues. The sides also discussed the role of co-operation on border management in post-conflict settings; the need to incorporate new actors in addressing border-relating challenges, including local and regional authorities, NGOs, religious leaders, businesses and women; and the need to address border disputes not only through the lens of politics, but also with a focus on how border-related challenges impact the daily lives of those directly affected.

Sanchez Amor also toured the BMSC's facilities and expressed his support on behalf of the Parliamentary Assembly for the College's important work and future plans.