Iran to Join Regional Anti-Narcotics Treaty
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Interior Minister and the Secretary General of the country's Drug Control Headquarters Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said Tehran will sign a regional treaty for fighting drugs.
Rahmani Fazli, who is in Moscow on an official visit, said Iran will join the anti-narcotics treaty signed by Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan.
He also said that Iran and Russia share views on fighting illegal drug trade and called for more serious cooperation between the two countries on this issue.
Rahmani Fazli is in Moscow to hold talks with Russian officials and sign two agreements on enhanced cooperation against drug trafficking.
He regretted that there is no serious resolve internationally to fight narcotics and said Iran, as a country on the frontline of fighting drug trafficking, receives no support from international organizations.
The Iranian official went on to say that today, the issue of narcotics is more complex and sensitive than before and that terrorism and extremism in the region have further complicated the fight against illicit drugs.
According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Iran is netting eight times more opium and three times more heroin than all other countries in the world combined.
Over the past three decades, the country has spent millions of dollars to seal the borders and prevent the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.
Iran's war on drug-traffickers has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 Iranian police forces over the past 34 years.
