June 6 , 2006
USG Donates Technical Equipment to Georgian Customs and Border Guards
Tbilisi – On Tuesday, June 6, U.S. Ambassador John Tefft and officials from the Georgian Border Guard and Georgian Customs Department will hold a press brief announcing the donation of over $250,000 in U.S. technical assistance. The Equipment being donated includes 50 personal computers, 20 laptop computers, monitors, scanners, printers, fax machines and other technical equipment. The assistance package also includes 800 passport control stamps worth approximately $50,000. The equipment and stamps are being donated as part of the U.S. Government’s Georgia Border Security and Law Enforcement Program (GBSLE). The GBSLE has provided over $158 million in assistance to the Georgian Border Guard, Coast Guard and Customs Department over the past eight years.
The computers and technical equipment will provide the Border Guard and Customs with the required hardware to run new, state-of-the-art software to assess and document customs fees and register and process passports at ports of entry. The computers will also be used at the new U.S.-funded Customs Training Center to help train future customs inspectors with modern computer software.
Specifically, the technical equipment being donated will make it possible to run the Automated System for Customs Data software (ASYCUDA). This software will allow customs inspectors to quickly identify, catalogue and assess duties on materials moving across Georgian borders. This should make clearing customs faster and make the customs process more transparent.
The technical equipment being donated will also make it possible for the Border Guard to run Personnel Identification and Reporting System (PIRS) software. PIRS software is a border management/Passport Control/Anti-Terrorism software developed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) specifically for Georgia. PIRS software allows Border Guard officers to scan traveler passports into a computer system so that authorities have an accurate, up-to-date record of people moving across Georgia’s borders. The PIRS software has been tested and accepted at the Tbilisi Airport, and Red Bridge Port of Entry. Now, thanks to the new technical equipment from the U.S. Government, the PIRS system will be extended nationwide.
The 800 stamps in this assistance package are state of the art tools for passport control. Each stamp has unique identifiers that will link it to a single Passport Control Officer. This is both an anti-corruption measure and a safeguard against Border Control officers being falsely accused. The stamps will be used to mark each traveler’s passport upon entering or exiting the country and provide an accurate system for tracking passport and visa documentation in Georgia by showing when, where and by whom passports have been stamped.
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