UNODC enhances the capacity of law enforcement officers of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Tbilisi, Georgia

From 28 November to 2 December 2022, UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia (UNODC ROCA) in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia organized a five-day study tour for 11 law enforcement officers of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Tbilisi, Georgia. 

The Uzbek delegation was composed of 11 people, including 5 members of the Operations Coordination Team (OCT) of the IMT project, as well as 6 high ranking officials representing the State Security Service of the Republic Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic Uzbekistan, the State Customs Committee of the Republic Uzbekistan, the Department for Combating Economic Crimes under the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the National Information-Analytical Center on Drug Control under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

 

The purpose of the study tour was to learn the best practices of law enforcement agencies of Georgia and to exchange experience on the issues related to conducting joint operations in the field of combating illicit drug trafficking (including planning, coordination and cooperation), organized crime, effective execution of inter-agency cooperation in countering narcotics, illegal cross-border issues and familiarization with databases, analytical tools information tracking systems used by the law enforcement agencies in Georgia.

In the course of the study tour the Uzbek delegation conducted the meetings with the Information-Analytical Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Georgia, the Central Criminal Police Department of the MIA of Georgia, the Prosecutor’s office of Georgia, the Customs Department of the Georgian Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance and the Inter-Agency Coordinating Council on Combating Drug Abuse.

During the meetings both sides were able to discuss topics such as: 

  • Anti-Drug Policy Development and Monitoring Drug Situation in Georgia;
  • analytical software that is used in the law enforcement operations in fight against illicit drug trafficking;
  • fulfillment of analytical activities with the view of providing the officials with the information related to drug trafficking as well as communication with foreign partners, strengthening cooperation and exchanging information;
  • countering narcotics through investigating drug crimes, such as drug trafficking, and drug fraud routes in coordination with other relevant agencies;
  • a system of interagency and cross-border law enforcement cooperation on drugs and crime in the country, etc.

The delegation also visited and held meetings with the officials of Port Control Units (PCUs) in Tbilisi, the land-border crossing point “Red bridge", as well as the Air Cargo Control Unit ACCU at Tbilisi International Airport to getacquainted with the control procedures and to exchange experience on enhancing interagency and cross-border cooperation to fight smuggling and illicit drug trafficking.

Olim Narzullaev, Director of the National Information-Analytical Center on Drug Control under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan in his welcoming remarks thanked UNODC ROCA and the Government of Georgia for organizing this study tour. He outlined the activities carried out within the framework of this project, and emphasized the importance of this project in countering drug trafficking and the need to strengthen the borders along the ‘Northern route’ and combating illicit drug trafficking from Afghanistan, since the Central Asian region is a transit zone for drugs from Afghanistan due to its geography and borders.

Irakli Tevdoradze , Deputy Head of Customs Department in his opening remarks thanked the Uzbek delegation for their interest in learning the best practices of the Georgian law enforcement officials in countering illicit drug trafficking and welcomed sharing experiences on the matters related to illicit drug trafficking challenges and obstacles and expressed a hope to deepen cooperation with Uzbekistan in the future. 

Gulnoza Ibragimova, UNODC ROCA National Project Officer expressed gratitude to the MFA of Georgia for their cooperation in organizing the meetings with the MIA of Georgia, Prosecutor’s office of Georgia and Customs Department of the Georgian Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance, as well as the Inter-Agency Coordinating Council on Combating Drug Abuse. Ms. Ibragimova stated that this study tour has provided a unique opportunity for the law enforcement officers of Uzbekistan and Georgia to share experiences and insights on good practice in countering illegal trafficking of drugs.

The study tour was conducted within the framework of the project on “Countering trafficking of Afghan narcotics and synthetic drugs in Uzbekistan through establishment of Interagency Mobile Teams (IMTs)”. This initiative is funded by the Government of Japan.  

For further information please contact:    

Arifa Fatikhova  

Communications and External Relations Officer

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 

Regional Office for Central Asia

Mobile: (+998 99) 825-05-43 | Email: arifa.fatikhova[at]un.org