Afghanistan strives to enlist regional support for anti-drug efforts
Earlier this week the representatives of ten countries discussed in Kabul joint plans to combat illicit drug trafficking.
Delegations from Iran, China, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) participated in the two-day conference organized by the Afghan Ministry of Counter Narcotics.
The participants of the meeting were presented with a draft strategy for regional cooperation in the field of countering drugs.
According to Salamat Azimi, counter-narcotics minister of Afghanistan, the document is focused on strengthening regional cooperation in law enforcement, exchanging intelligence, resolving issues of extradition, preventing money laundering, tightening border controls to prevent drug trafficking and facilitating partnership with regional and international organizations.
The drug threat for Afghanistan has turned into one of the factors undermining the basis of security in the country. In this context, broad regional support is vital to the success of efforts to eradicate this evil.
According to the joint report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) nd government of Afghanistan, the area of cultivation of opium poppy in 2016 amounted to 201,000 hectares or 10% up comparing to 2015.
