DUSHANBE, January 21, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- A meeting of senior representatives from counternarcotics agencies of Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan took place in Dushanbe on January 20, the Tajik Drug Control Agency (DCA) press center reports.

The meeting brought together Tajik DCA director Rustam Nazarov, Afghan Deputy Interior Minister Baz Mohammad Ahmadi, Afghan Deputy Minister for Counter-Narcotics Mohammad Azhar and Daniyar Otorbayev, the deputy head of Kyrgyzstan’s State Service for Drug Control, to discuss issues related to strengthening of cooperation in combating drug trafficking.

Mr. Jean-Luc Lemahieu, UNODC Country Office Representative in Afghanistan, Mr. Ali Saryazdi, UNODC Country Office Representative in Tajikistan, and Mr. Abdulhomid Norov, representative of the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre for Combating Illicit Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors (CARICC) also attended the meeting.

Issues related to organization of joint fight against organized crime groups, exchange of operational information and training of personnel were among major topics of the meeting that resulted in signing of a joint protocol.  Under this document, the drug control chiefs from the three countries will meet twice a year.