Iran Press/Asia: The thirteenth senior officials meeting of the Triangular Initiative on drug control kicked off in Pakistan’s Islamabad on Tuesday, with Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran participating.
The Ministry of Narcotics Control secretary in Pakistan chairs the two-day meeting on finding a solution to a common challenge through adherence to a comprehensive approach.
Police Chief Brigadier General Mohammad Masoud Zahedian
Iran's Anti-Narcotics Police Chief Brigadier General Mohammad Masoud Zahedian is heading the Iranian delegation in the two-day meeting. A delegation from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is also taking part in the conference. The UNODC provides technical support to Triangular Initiative partners in facing their respective situations and challenges in field of counter-narcotics.
The three governments have already agreed to share real-time information; plan and conduct drug-interdiction operations through the Joint Planning Cell; and establish Border Liaison Offices to effectively counter the trafficking of Afghan opiates.
Since its inception in 2007, the Triangular Initiative forum has served as a cornerstone of the regional approach to drug control.
The Iranian police officials said that drug production in Afghanistan has increased 40-fold since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001. Afghan and regional officials blame Washington and NATO for the increase; saying their relaxed approach about the narcotics production and trafficking in last 16 years has intensified the challenge. 212/ 211 / 103
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