Tehran, Moscow sign document on fight against drug trafficking
By Sara Rajabova
Iran and Russia will jointly combat against the production and trafficking of illicit drugs.
The two have signed a document as their joint plan of action to fight the production and trafficking of illicit drugs.
Iran’s Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli and Director of Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation Victor Ivanov signed the document in Moscow on December 8, Press TV reported.
Based on the document, Iran and Russia pledged to establish mechanisms from 2015 to 2018 to exchange operational intelligence about poppy cultivation and drug production centers.
“With the accession of Iran to the anti-drug quartet, we will contribute to the further success of this organization. We can extend the amplitude of cooperation with this five party group of the member states of the SCO (the Shanghai Cooperation Organization) and create a very large regional organization in Asia,” RahmaniFazli said.
The Iranian minister and the head of Russia's anti-drug service also agreed to organize plans for joint search operations and shut down the channels for drugs smuggling in accordance with the two countries’ regulations.
“Today we signed a truly historic document. Our plan provides establishment of a joint working group that will consult together for information exchange and submit proposals for joint operations online. Police and the Interior Ministry of Iran joined the anti-drug quartet,” said Ivanov.
The document also envisages the exchange of information on the transit of narcotics from Afghanistan through the Caspian Sea. It further mandates cooperation between Tehran and Moscow on rehabilitating drug addicts and preventing addiction.
Each year, Iran gives $50 million to the Afghan government for fighting against drugs,according to the Iranian media.
Iran lies on a major drug route between Afghanistan and Europe as well as the Persian Gulf states. It shares about 900 kilometers of a common border with Afghanistan, through which about 74 percent of opium is reportedly smuggled.
Iran has been actively fighting drug trafficking. 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.According to official estimates, the fight against drugs annually costs Iran about $1 billion. The statistics also say that there are about 2 million drug users in Iran.