On 20 April 2022, the Uzbek party chaired the 12th Meeting of the Heads of the SCO Counter-Narcotics Agencies, also attended by representatives of the SCO Secretariat, in Tashkent.
Director of the National Information and Analytical Centre for Drug Control under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan Olim Narzullayev and SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming delivered their welcoming remarks.
Delegations of the SCO member states headed by Satya Narayan Pradhan from the Narcotics Control Bureau of the Republic of India, Askar Mukhametkaliev from the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Liang Yun from the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China, Nurlan Turusbekov from the Ministry of the Interior of the Kyrgyz Republic, Muhammad Rashid Minhas from the Ministry of Narcotics Control of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Kirill Smurov from the Russian Ministry of the Interior and Rakhimzoda Rakhmonali Khamro from the Drug Control Agency under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan took part in the meeting.
The participants exchanged opinions on the drug situation in the SCO member states and discussed the prospects for the development of counter-narcotics cooperation.
The delegations expressed their commitment to maintaining and strengthening the international drug control system based on the UN's three main drug-related conventions, with the central coordinating role of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs as the decision-making body in this field.
The heads of delegations called for further building up effective interaction within the framework of the SCO's fundamental documents on combatting drug trafficking and the full execution of the Action Plan (2021-2023) for the implementation of the Programme of Action for the SCO Anti-Drug Strategy for 2018-2023.
They expressed concern about the global drug problem, especially the steady increase in the illicit production of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in Afghanistan and the Golden Crescent, which poses a serious threat to regional and international security.
The rapid spread and abuse of synthetic drugs and new psychoactive substances, as well as the rise in trafficking chemicals used in the production of drugs, were highlighted as a serious threat to regional security and stability.
The participants underscored the importance of counteracting the use of modern information and telecommunication technologies and electronic financial systems in drug trafficking and the laundering of drug proceeds, which have a negative impact on national, regional and global security.
The heads of delegations noted the timeliness and relevance of the initiative proposed by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to draft a Joint Counter-Narcotics Action Plan covering South and Central Asia, given the historical closeness of these regions and the urgency of expanding cooperation with the SCO, including in terms of countering the drug threat from Afghanistan.
The parties confirmed their intention to promote common approaches and cooperation in combatting drug trafficking, as well as to maintain and strengthen the existing international drug control system at the UN and other anti-drug platforms.
The 12th Meeting of the Heads of the SCO Counter-Narcotics Agencies was preceded by a Meeting of the Senior Officials of the SCO Counter-Narcotics Agencies and meetings of four relevant expert working groups.