Mohsen Baharvand, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for International and Legal Affairs who is now in Vienna, met and held talks with Ghada Wali, the Director-General of the UN Office at Vienna and Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Referring to Iran's financial and human losses in the fight against drugs, Baharvand called on the international community and the Office on Drugs and Crime to pay more serious attention to the drug problems and to strengthen the capacities and resources to support countries such as Iran.
In this regard, he criticized the illegal and unilateral anti-Iran sanctions, spoke about their impact on counter-narcotics measures, and stressed, “Not only efforts must be made to lift such oppressive sanctions, but also some measures must be taken simultaneously to provide the countries with the necessary equipment in the fight against drugs and human trafficking.”
the deputy foreign minister also addressed the phenomenon of human trafficking and suggested that a joint tripartite effort be made between Iran, Afghanistan, and UNODC in order to strengthen checkpoints and border police.
Baharvand also called on UNODC to take action for restitution of property resulting from corruption or theft by criminals who have fled Iran and are in the safe haven of Western countries.
Wali, for her part, announced readiness to strengthen joint cooperation in the fight against narcotics and human trafficking, adding," UNODC considers Iran as an important country who has taken extensive measures in the field of counternarcotic and related crimes."
She also noted that the rate of drug detections by Iran is appreciable, saying, “Restitution of property resulting from corruption is an important issue for the UNODC and there is a legal basis for cooperation in this area in the United Nations Convention against Corruption, therefore UNODC is ready to cooperate with countries in this field."
RHM/FNA13990626000065
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