DUSHANBE, December 2, 2013, Asia-Plus – An informal ministerial meeting that took place in Dushanbe on November 29-30 has reportedly worked out common approaches to stabilize the situation and counter the drug expansion in the Central Asia region after withdrawal of the international coalition troops from Afghanistan in 2014.
The meeting reportedly brought together senior representatives of counternarcotics agencies of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Russia, China, the United States, and Turkey. Representatives of the UN Office n Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the European Union (EU) also attended the meeting.
Inaugurating the meeting, Tajik Security Council Secretary Abdurahim Qahhorov read out a complementary address of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.
In his address, Tajik leader, in particular, calls on international community to combine efforts against the drug trafficking. President Rahmon proposed to name the Dushanbe meeting the dialogue to counter drug trafficking.
According to Tajikistan’s Drug Control Agency (DCA), the meeting participants exchanged views on the current drug situation in the region and preparedness of the sides for taking adequate anti-drug measures.
They pointed to the necessity of consolidating efforts of international community to ensure an efficient fight against transnational crime and expanding collaboration between the law enforcement authorities of the region to provide security.
The conference participants also pointed to the necessity of extending the UNODC regional program to support efforts to combat drugs in Afghanistan and neighboring countries until 2019.
The Regional Program for Afghanistan and Neighboring Countries covers UNODC support for anti-drug trafficking efforts in the countries of Central Asia.
The conference resulted in adoption of joint statement, which outlined priorities of further cooperation in countering drug trafficking.
The conference participants made a decision to hold it annually and the Iranian delegation proposed to hold the next conference in Iran.
