UNODC enhances inter-agency cooperation between Kyrgyz Counter Narcotics Service and Tajik Drug Control Agency

OSH, 22 November 2017 - The Ministry of Interior (MoI) of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Drug Control Agency (DCA) under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan conducted a two-day working meeting aimed at strengthening interagency cooperation in the field of countering transnational organized crime and illicit drug trafficking.

During the event the delegations of the Kyrgyz MoI and the Tajik DCA have discussed priority areas of cooperation between agencies, trends and developments on the drug situation in the region, the effectiveness of national efforts on drug control as well as drug prevention issues.

The agenda also included consideration of a cooperation agreement between the Kyrgyz MoI and Tajik DCA on combating illicit drug trafficking, psychotropic substances and their precursors. 

In addition, the Heads of operational units of the Counter Narcotics Service (CNS) of the Interior Ministry of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Tajik DCA had an opportunity to discuss specific topics on cooperation in a separate meeting.

"I am deeply convinced that the results of our meetings will give a new impetus to the development of bilateral cooperation and will have a positive impact on the activation of joint efforts in the field of countering illicit drug trafficking," said Daniyar Abdykarov, Deputy Minister of Interior of the Kyrgyz Republic.

According to Zafar Samad, Deputy Director of the Drug Control Agency under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan: "Our meeting in this format and the signing of the Protocol on Cooperation will allow us to develop a unified approach to cooperation in the field of combating organized criminal drug groups, the timely exchange of information on them, and take effective measures to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation. "

"The spread of illicit drugs and its high rates of trafficking in Central Asia requires new approaches in drug control",  said Alexander Fedulov, the head of the UNODC Programme office in the Kyrgyz republic. "UNODC intends to further facilitate the dialogue between states and continue its support to the Governments on elaboration of their legislation".

"According to the published opium poppy survey in Afghanistan, the opium harvest in 2017 will be 9,000 tons, which is a record harvest over the past decade, so this meeting of the competent authorities to control drug trafficking in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan at the junction of the Northern Route is extremely urgent", he added.

The parties highlighted importance of soonest signing the bilateral cooperation agreement between the Kyrgyz MoI and Tajik DCA on combating illicit drug trafficking, psychotropic substances and their precursors.  Parties also discussed issues related to the creation of joint operational and investigative groups for countering organized crime and the investigation of specific facts of drug-related crimes.

The meeting was supported jointly by the Programme Office of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the Kyrgyz Republic the UNODC Programme office in Tajikistan as a part of the Sub-programme-1 of the UNODC Regional Programme for Central Asia 2015-2019 under initiatives aimed at "Strengthening the Counter Narcotics Service of the Ministry of Interior of the Kyrgyz Republic" with funding provided by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the Government of the Russian Federation.  "Tajikistan Drug Control Agency (DCA)" is funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).