AKIPRESS.COM - A high-level conference aimed at consolidating international anti-drug efforts was held May 27 in Dushanbe.

The gathering was organized by the State Drug Control Agency with the support of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan and other stakeholders.

The one-day event brought together some 300 high-level participants from Anti-Drug agencies of Afghanistan, Central Asia, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, South Korea, Turkey, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Representatives of the EU Delegation to Tajikistan, UN agencies also took part.

Yury Fedotov, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Executive Director, said: “The need for such efforts was never more important. This process provides a good opportunity for the countries of Central Asia to analyse regional cooperation and coordination in view of the threats posed by Afghan opiates.”

“International cooperation in anti-drug efforts will remain one of the priorities of the state policy of the Republic of Tajikistan”, said Rustam Nazarzoda, Director of Drug Control Agency under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan. He expressed hope that within the current dialogue on the threat of drugs new approaches to strengthen effective measures to control drugs will be developed.

Conference participants adopted a joint statement on consolidation of efforts of international anti-drug cooperation and developing proposals to be included in discussions during the United Nations Special Session of the General Assembly on the World Drug Problem to be held next year.