Regional cooperation vital to combating drug trafficking, Tajik leader tells UN

Curbing illegal drug trafficking requires regional cooperation to tackle root causes, Tajikistan’s President told the General Assembly today, spotlighting recent efforts by several nations to counteract the threats posed by terrorism and narcotics.

“Currently Tajikistan finds itself between the major world producer of opium and heroin and the drug-consuming countries and given the fact that Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan, with a very complex mountain relief, is almost 1,500 kilometres long, we have to perform the role of a buffer blocking the ever-increasing stream of ‘white death’,” Emomali Rahmon said.

Only through consolidated and collective efforts can narcotics aggression – which generates millions of dollars for countries far from Tajikistan – be combated, he said.

“We consider it necessary to get Afghanistan involved in the process of a multi-faceted regional cooperation,” Mr. Rahmon said, noting the joint moves taken by Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia and Tajikistan.

The so-called Quad is seeking to counteract the threat posed by terrorism and illegal drugs that can only be addressed by dealing with its root causes, including poverty, unemployment and other urgent social issues.

Cooperation among nations, especially on the issue of water management, can foster progress in other areas, the President said, warning that in the coming decades, there will not be enough water to meet the needs of the world’s population.

He told the Assembly that the Central Asian nation is home to some 60 per cent of the region’s water resources, but more than 1,000 of its 13,000 glaciers have disappeared.

He cited forecasts that more than one third of the global population will experience water shortages by 2025, while it is predicted that the planet will not be able to meet its water needs by 2050.

Tajikistan, Mr. Rahmon said, acts “not only as the initiator of discussions of water issues on the international area but also as the initiator of adaptation of specific measures on sustainable use of this resource of vital importance.”

The country is very active in the UN on water issues, having initiated the International Decade for Action “Water for Life” 2005-2015, he noted.

“We believe that water cooperation should strengthen rather than undermine interaction in other areas,” the President said. “It should increasingly build confidence among all water resources users and contribute to the introduction of integrated management of water resources at the local, national and regional levels.”

He proposed that the Assembly proclaim 2012 as the International Year of Water Diplomacy, which could help to enhance early warning systems and improve regional cooperation.