Workshops on interagency cooperation at border crossing points were held in Astana (2-4 October) and Ashgabat (7-9 November) and follow successful implementation of a similar event in Bishkek in July 2017. The events brought together representatives from the border and customs services of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan as well as BOMCA experts from the Latvian State Border Guard. The purpose of the workshops was to promote the Integrated Border Management concept, where interagency cooperation among all relevant authorities and agencies involved in border security and customs is one of the three pillars. The workshops also provided a good opportunity to share experiences in this area and learn about solutions based on the Latvian experience. During the workshops, draft agreements for interagency cooperation and information exchange within and between the border agencies were elaborated based on international best practices.

In the wider extent, this BOMCA activity aims to strengthen practical implementation of interagency cooperation, in particular, creating joint mobile groups, conducting joint risk analysis and strategic planning, and joint vehicle search - i.e. practical measures that might strengthen cooperation between the border agencies and establish information flows