Iran is the most important partner of the United Nations in the fight against drugs

Iskander Momeni, the Secretary General of the Anti-Narcotics Headquarters, in an interview with the Fars news agency’s social damage reporter, stated: Today, the issue of drugs is not a social and health anomaly limited to a specific society or region, but it goes beyond the geographical boundaries and is linked to crimes. Organized, corruption, money laundering, violence, extremism and terrorist acts have crossed all world borders.

The Secretary General of the Anti-Narcotics Headquarters continued: Unfortunately, our region is exposed to the greatest human losses and the most extensive destructive consequences due to its proximity to the main source of opium cultivation and production in the world and as a result the movement of criminals of organized and cross-border crimes. Trafficking and addiction.

Afghanistan is the main producer of “glass” in the region

Stating that secure markets with tempting profits in the West have increased the cultivation and production of opiates in Afghanistan, Momeni pointed out that the smuggling of these substances from the origin of Afghanistan to the profitable markets of the region and the West has caused the Islamic Republic Iran will suffer huge material and spiritual losses. In addition, in recent years, Afghanistan has become a major producer of methamphetamine (glass), which is far more harmful than opioids.

He added: Opium and methamphetamine production in Afghanistan requires drug precursors, which are mainly produced in Southeast Asia and Europe. This issue indicates the fact that drug trade is a two-way business.

The secretary general of the anti-narcotics headquarters pointed out that countering narcotics is a cross-border and international issue, and noted that this issue requires regional, trans-regional and international cooperation. This important thing requires the attention of all members of the international community to the “principle of joint and comprehensive responsibility”, which is emphasized in all the documents of the United Nations.

Iran’s cooperation with 45 countries in the world to deal with drugs

He went on to explain paragraph 8 of the general anti-narcotics policies announced by the Supreme Leader of the Revolution and stated: In this paragraph, the need to strengthen and promote regional and global diplomacy related to narcotics and psychotropic substances is emphasized in order to target relations. Therefore, the anti-narcotics headquarters within the framework of the macro policies of the system and based on the three principles announced by the supreme leader of the revolution (honor, wisdom and expediency) in decision-making, decision-making, design, planning, and implementation at bilateral, multilateral, and regional levels. Subregional and international participation is active.

Referring to Iran’s cooperation with 45 countries of the world to fight against drugs, the Secretary General of the Narcotics Control Staff stated: The position of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the neighborhood of the largest producer of opioids in the world, the remarkable actions and achievements of our country in the fields related to the fight against narcotics. With narcotics and active diplomacy in this area, our country has signed various memorandums of understanding with more than 45 countries in the field of combating narcotics and cooperated with them.

He also explained about Iran’s cooperation with regional and international countries as follows: exchange of operational information, transfer of successful experiences in the field of reducing demand and countering supply, countering money laundering caused by drugs, consulting on regional and international issues related to the issue of drugs. Drug, holding training workshops to improve the capacity of managers and experts of active agencies in this field is one of the specific goals of these documents.

Multilateral cooperation between Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan

Momeni reminded: In addition to the field of bilateral cooperation, the Islamic Republic of Iran also cooperates closely with various structures in the field of multilateral cooperation, such as the ECO Economic Cooperation Organization, the Cooperation and Confidence Building Conference (SICA), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Paris Agreement Initiative.

He mentioned the cooperation between Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2007 to fight against drugs and said: In this regard, it is necessary to mention the tripartite initiative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, which was formed in 2007 and the headquarters of the executive arm That is, the Joint Planning Unit (JPC) is located in Tehran. This initiative has three operational levels, senior officials and ministers hold their meetings and follow up and implement the approvals. So far, eight meetings at the ministerial level of the three countries, with the presence of the Deputy Secretary General and the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), as well as thirteen meetings of senior officials, have been held alternately in the capitals of the three member countries.

Iran is the most important partner of the United Nations in the fight against drugs

He continued: One of the most important headlines of Iran’s actions in the field of regional and international cooperation in the field of combating drugs is Iran’s cooperation with the United Nations in this field. The Islamic Republic of Iran is considered the most important partner of the United Nations in the field of anti-narcotics cooperation. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Tehran (UNODC) was opened in 1999, and since then, a joint cooperation program has been signed between the two sides every 5 years. We are now on the verge of signing and starting the fifth round of joint cooperation, which is going to be signed soon between the anti-narcotics headquarters and the UNODC secretariat. This document is considered as the general framework of the cooperation program between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United Nations in the field of combating narcotics.

Cruel sanctions are the Achilles heel of the drug war

The Secretary General of the Anti-Narcotics Staff spoke about the challenges of the anti-narcotics field in the international arena and emphasized: One of the major challenges of our country in promoting cooperation with countries and the United Nations is selective treatment, politicization and unilateral coercive measures. Unfortunately, the field of combating drugs, which is a humanitarian field based on the interests of all human societies, is affected by the cruel and unilateral sanctions of the United States, and the susceptibility of European countries to the said political pressures. In this regard, sanctions and unilateral coercive measures have created obstacles and problems in cooperation with the UNODC office and other UN agencies.

He stated: The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the politicization of the cooperation environment and the resort to sanctions and unilateral coercive measures in the field of international humanitarian cooperation, including the fight against narcotics, and calls on friendly and aligned countries to deal with this. oppose and condemn such actions. Because what binds people together is the common human destiny, and Iran’s remarkable actions in this global arena are on behalf of the international community.

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