Domestic

Home page

Domestic

Azerbaijani Interior Ministry refutes reports of Iranian media

20 June 2011 14:21 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. The second anti-drug police meeting of the Caspian Sea littoral states was held in Bandar Anzali city of Iran. The delegation led by chief of Interior Ministryâ€™s Department to Combat Drugs, Major-General Hazi Aslanov represented Azerbaijan in the meeting. Interior Ministryâ€™s press service told APA that Hazi Aslanov said struggle against drug abuse, drugs and their precursors is being carried out on the highest level, the third State Program covering 2007-2012 is being realized successfully, relevant government agencies, representatives of all layers of the society, including nongovernmental organizations are involved in the process. Chief of the department also said illicit drug turnover is one of the major sources of financing of transnational organized crimes, including international terrorism, noted that as a result of the occupation of Nagorno Karabakh and seven adjacent regions by Armenia, Azerbaijan lost control of 132km border with Iran, therefore, it is impossible to take adequate measures against the smuggling of drugs through the abovementioned territory, such conditions allow criminal groups to grow narcotic plants in these territories, produce drugs and transit to other countries.

The report also says that some Mass Medias reported quoting the news on abovementioned meeting of Iranâ€™s half official â€œFarsâ€ agency that as if during the speech at this meeting, Hazi Aslanov sounded shock charges to USA and noted that this country was the main power which was patronizing the drug trafficking in the world together: â€œWe officially say that Police Major-General Hazi Aslanov said nothing about the US in his speech at the event, or in the meetings close part. We decisively refute this provocative information, released in some press organs on behalf of chief of Interior Ministry’s Department to Combat Drug, which aims to damage Azerbaijan-US relations and regret that half official â€œFarsâ€ Information Agency, releasing fabulous, strained and information of slander character, demonstrated the position which donâ€™t conform the current friendly and neighboring policy between Islamic Republic of Iran and Azerbaijan.