Breakthrough in access to Afghanistan

The Tajik government said on Thursday it had abolished the need to obtain special permission to use international crossing points between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, greatly facilitating cross-border operations and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to its southern neighbour. The decision will be effective from 5 December. "We cannot overestimate the significance of this announcement," Valentin Gatzinski, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) in Tajikistan, told IRIN in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, on Friday. Prior to this arrangement, apart from having valid Tajik and Afghan visas, international organisations had to have special permission obtained through OCHA and the foreign ministry in consultation with the ministry of security and Russian forces on the border, he said. "This barrier has now been removed, greatly enhancing the ability of international organisations to provide assistance to the crisis inside Afghanistan from here," he added. "Speedier access will result in a substantial increase in the volume of humanitarian aid reaching Afghanistan from here." Gatzinski said the decision was the result of the meeting of the UN Under Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs, Kenzo Oshima, meeting in October with government officials in Dushanbe, during which the issue of facilitation and access was raised. The newly established joint government and UN coordination group on humanitarian operations in Afghanistan was also instrumental in the decision. The decision means the UN, NGOs and other international organisations are required only to inform the foreign ministry 48 hours in advance of planned border crossings. Without having to wait for permission, foreign citizens and their vehicles will be able to proceed to Afghanistan, provided they have valid multiple Tajik and Afghan visas, while Tajik national staff will enjoy the same treatment, but with a notification of one week instead. In a statement on Friday, OCHA said: "This is a welcome development for the international community." It added that the implementation of this measure points to the concern of the Tajik government for the humanitarian plight of its neighbouring people, while at the same time, demonstrating its desire to assist and facilitate the international concerted effort. Tajikistan has 1,200 km of border with Afghanistan, one of six countries neighbouring the beleaguered nation. The border crossings used by the international community to transport humanitarian aid into Afghanistan are at Ishkashim and Farkhor/Kokul, soon to be joined by Nizhniy Pyandj.