The United States Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Henick on Tuesday (January 17) handed 225 thermal monoculars worth $600,000 to the border troops of the State Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The equipment is transferred through the Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund funded by the Department of State.
In his welcoming speech, Ambassador Jonathan Henick emphasized the long-term bilateral cooperation in the field of border security.
'The United States and Uzbekistan have been cooperating on border security for more than 20 years. The United States is committed to helping Uzbekistan secure its borders, whether it's against narcotics trafficking, whether it's weapons smuggling, or human trafficking. This equipment donation today is merely the latest in a series of many projects and programs on border security', US Ambassador Jonathan Henick said.
‘In addition to equipment donations, we also engage very closely with our border security partners here to provide training and to share expertise. And we expect we will continue to work to develop programs in this area again to ensure that Uzbek people are secure in their borders and as a result, the whole world is more secure as well’, the US envoy stressed. Besides, the top diplomat pointed out key tasks of border security cooperation:
‘We are most concerned about narcotics, weapons smuggling, and weapons of mass destruction. As you know, Uzbekistan, just as in the case with the United States, has also faced terrorist threats in the past. And we believe that these border security programs will help Uzbekistan ensure that it can protect its people, its infrastructure, and its population from terrorist threats in the future. We are also working with the other countries in the region and encouraging Uzbekistan to cooperate with its neighbors because all countries need to cooperate in this area. We think security programs contribute to Uzbekistan's economic prosperity and economic future.
Since 2001, when the US and Uzbekistan inked the Agreement in the field of defense and prevention of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the two countries have partnered in countering the proliferation of dangerous nuclear weapons, biological, chemical, and radiological materials, and also strengthening border security.
'Today the United States is pleased to mark the next stage of cooperation and hopes that the transferred monitoring equipment will improve the capabilities of the Border Guard Force to protect the state border of Uzbekistan, green border patrol, and enable a rapid response to border incidents', the press service of the US Embassy states.
Established in 1994, the Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund allows the U.S. government to respond rapidly to high-priority nonproliferation and disarmament opportunities, which are unanticipated or unusually difficult. The fund maintains expertise in policy development, negotiations, program management, financial operations, and contract administration to ensure the work is accomplished in the most secure, safe, and cost-efficient manner possible.
Comments (0)