Iran’s Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli held a meeting with Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Yury Fedotov on the sidelines of Sixty-first session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs ,which is underway in Vienna.
In the meeting, Rahmani Fazli said “production of more than 9,000 tons of drugs in Afghanistan is a warning to the international community, and the countries of the world are required to act according to their duties and commitments.”
He added further production of illegal drugs means more damage to the countries of the region and the world.
Iran’s interior minister also stated that in line with the guidelines of Iran’s Leader and on the president’s orders, Iran has designed and implemented a strategy to fight against the narcotics seriously.
Rahmani Fazli pointed out that Iran has taken measures to fight against drug production and trafficking, meanwhile, it has adopted measures to treat patients and rehabilitate them.
The interior minister noted that Iran has seized 785 tons of drugs this year, which is 15 percent higher than the same period last year, adding that there is widespread discrimination on behalf of international community against countries in their dealing with illegal drugs issue.
Rahmani Fazli also stressed the need for further attention on behalf of UNODC to the Joint Planning Cell (JPC), which is an action plan brokered and supported by the UNODC to conduct joint operations against drug trafficking targets by Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.
Yury Fedotov, for his part, hailed Iran’s fight against illegal drugs, saying that the amount of illegal drugs seized by the Islamic Republic of Iran alone is four times higher than the world average.
The UNODC executive director described Iran’s role in the fight against illegal drugs as being crucial as the production of narcotics in the world has increased a lot compared to the past.
At the end of his remarks, Fedotov expressed his appreciation to the Iran’s continued fight against illegal drugs and stressed that the United Nations would continue to support and strengthen the UNODC office and its activities in Iran.
KI/4250428