DUSHANBE, May 7, 2015, Asia-Plus – On May 5, Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Aslov met in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan with UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov on the sidelines of the 9th meeting of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Sub-regional Drug Control Cooperation.

According to the Tajik MFA information department, they discussed state and prospects of further expansion of cooperation between Tajikistan and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in combating illicit drug trafficking.

Aslov and Fedotov also exchanged views on an international drug enforcement conference that is scheduled to take place in Dushanbe on May 27.

The 9th meeting of the MoU on Sub-regional Drug Control Cooperation took place in Ashgabat on May 4-5.

The meeting participants discussed issues related to the current drug situation in the region and the new program for Central Asia 2015-2019.

The program was developed in close collaboration and consultations with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) which are the Member States of the MOU.

The 9th meeting adopted a Declaration that stressed the importance and continued relevance of the Memorandum of Understanding on Sub-regional Drug Control Cooperation in contributing to enhanced regional and international cooperation to better counter trafficking of drugs and related illicit financial flows, especially within the framework of shared responsibility. It also reiterated the commitment of the MOU Parties to highlight the importance of robust regional and international cooperation as a contribution to consultations taking place worldwide in the context of the preparatory process leading up to the 2016 United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs (UNGASS).

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Sub-regional Drug Control Cooperation was signed by the governments of five Central Asian countries and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in May 1996.  The Russian Federation and AKDN joined the MoU in 1998 and Azerbaijan joined it in 2001.