Ashgabat hosts the international seminar on interdepartmental and transboundary law enforcement co-operation organized by the government of Turkmenistan, State Coordination Commission on Drugs in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The officers of the Border Service and the Customs Service, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Supreme Court, the Ministry of National Security, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry as well as the representatives of the prestige international organisations including OSCE, NATO, the European Commission, Interpol, the heads of the diplomatic missions accredited to Turkmenistan, journalists and drug trafficking control specialists and experts from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan take part in the seminar.

Presenting the aims and objectives of the seminar the organizers stated that illicit the activity to control drug trafficking required the resolute actions based on many-sided strategy through using the effective tools. In this context the participants put emphasis on the necessity of coordinating concerted efforts under the aegis of the United Nations and raising the awareness of the particular role and responsibility of each member of the international community.

Greeting the participants on behalf of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime Secretariat UNODC Representative in Turkmenistan Erjan Saka expressed sincere gratitude to the government of Turkmenistan for assistance in organizing the seminar and noted that Turkmenistan considerably contributed to maintenance of peace, security and stability in the region.

Turkmenistan joined the three UN conventions against illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and actively collaborated under the international programmes and projects aimed at strengthening the capacity of the Central Asian states to design the anti-drug strategy. Turkmenistan issued the Memorandum of Understanding on Subregional Drug Control Cooperation on 4 May, 1996. The State Coordination Commission on Drugs was established at the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan on 12 March, 1996.

Thus, from the first years of independence Turkmenistan implementing the provisions of the UN General Assembly political declaration defined the activity on drug trafficking control as a priority task of the national policy and adhered to its international commitments. Paying much attention to the problem President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov set the concrete tasks to the Turkmen law enforcement agencies, the Customs Service and the Border Service provided with modern technologies and up-to-date equipment. The training centers regularly deliver the extension courses and trainings. Moreover, preventive activity involving healthcare and educational establishments as well as public organisations, the members of the Revival National Movement are widely carried on in the country.

The heads of the State Coordination Commission on Drugs, the UNODC international consultants and experts presented the reports on establishment of an effective mechanism to control illicit drug trafficking at the national and regional levels. Exchanging views the participants were unanimous that international co-operation in that sphere would be intensified.

The international seminar will be closed on November 9.