DUSHANBE, December 3, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Today, an agreement on cooperation in fighting drug trafficking was signed in Dushanbe between the Government of Tajikistan, represented by Rustam Nazarov, Director of the Drug Control Agency (DCA) under the President of Tajikistan, and the Government of the Russian Federation, represented by Yuri Popov, Russian Ambassador to Tajikistan.

Speaking at the agreement-signing ceremony, Tajik drug control chief Rustam Nazarov noted, “Under this agreement, competent agencies of the two countries will coordinate their counternarcotics policy and implement concerted programs aimed at reducing drug abuse, rehabilitating drug addicts, combating illicit trafficking in narcotics and precursors.”

According to him, the agreement provides for bilateral cooperation in carrying out investigation-and-search operations, including operations for exposure and criminal prosecution of drug dealers.

Russian ambassador, for his part, noted that the agreement would allow relevant agencies of Tajikistan and Russia maintaining close cooperation to reduce drug threat.

So far, competent agencies of Tajikistan and Russia have cooperated in combating drug trafficking on the basis of the CIS agreement to combat drug trafficking signed in Minsk in 2000 and a number of interagency agreements.