Azerbaijan, Baku, May 4 / Trend K. Zarbaliyeva /
An extended conference on combating drugs was held in the southern regions of Azerbaijan.
A conference on "Fight against drug addiction and illicit drug trafficking in southern regions of Azerbaijan was held in an office of the executive power of Lankaran May 1.
Senior officials of the General Prosecutor's Office, Interior Ministry, Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Supreme Court, the State Border Service, State Customs committee, the National Office of propaganda against drugs and crime, heads of executive power of Lankaran, Astara, Masalli, Lerik, Yardimli, Jalilabad, Bilasuvar, Neftchala, Salyan, Shirvan and Hajikabul regions, prosecutors in these areas, heads of city and regional offices of the Interior Ministry, head doctors of the central hospitals, the chiefs of the youth and sports, the heads of departments of education, directors of higher and secondary specialized educational institutions of the Southern region attended the event, organized by the Presidential Administration and the State Commission for combating drug abuse and drug trafficking.
The participants visited the park named after National Leader Heydar Aliyev and laid wreaths at the monument.
Opening the event Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the State Commission for combating drug and drug trafficking, Ali Hasanov, said that a large-scale conference on the fight against drug trafficking was held for the first time in the region.
Speaking on the agenda, Interior Minister Ramil Usubov said that the reduction of drug demand in the country and prevention of their sale is the first condition for successful solving of the problem.
Minister drew attention of participants to the importance of clarifying the real number of drug addicts and a comprehensive monitoring, together with public associations and nongovernmental organizations to establish the exact extent of drug addiction.
Speaking on the topic "Social and legal aspects of combating drugs and illicit drug trafficking", head of the department on work with law enforcement agencies of the Presidential Administration Fuad Alasgarov said that the favorable geographical position of Azerbaijan and the expansion of trade ties with world countries attracts those involved in trafficking drugs. Furthermore, the use of Azerbaijani territories, which are under occupation of Armenian forces, for the production of drugs creates the conditions for the prosperity of drug addiction and international terrorism.
The Azerbaijani President pays special attention at combating illicit trafficking of narcotic and psychotropic substances. He approved the Program on combat drug trafficking, psychotropic substances and their precursors and drug abuse in 2007-2012 to increase the effectiveness of activity in this area.
As a result of the execution of the program, crime detection related to trafficking and smuggling of narcotic drugs, the number of people involved in committing these acts, as well as the number of drugs withdrawn from illegal turnover have been recently increased.
Alasgarov said that demographic analysis was conducted in connection with the fight against drug abuse and illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs. The social composition of those prosecuted for crimes in this category was revealed. It was found that in 2009 most of those prosecuted for similar crimes, were unemployed. The parasitic lifestyle is the main source for the spread of drug addiction and the emergence of other social pathologies.
Comprehensive measures must be planned and conducted to suppress illicit drug trafficking.
Decisive actions to stop the cultivation of plants containing narcotic drugs, their collection and storage of finished products and semi-ways and methods of distribution of drugs, identify the source of their purchase and sales, enhance information exchange between law enforcement agencies must be taken. All law enforcement agencies must come together in this struggle.
Particular attention must be paid to expand prevention measures, strengthen propaganda and increase the effectiveness of public health, education and youth in this direction.
Activity of nongovernmental organizations carrying out projects for prevention and drug addiction should be encouraged.
In his speech, Alasgarov made proposals to improve the legal base in the fight against drug trafficking, but also brought the task and the actions necessary to increase effectiveness in this area to the attention of relevant bodies.
In his report entitled "Current problems of combating drug addiction and prosecution control" Prosecutor General Zakir Garalov said that the conference on the status of the fight against drug abuse and illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs in the southern regions of Azerbaijan, held in Lankaran on the initiative of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, is primarily manifestation of the will of the state to combat drug addiction.
Analyses of statistical reports show that drug addiction is widespread in this region and became a social disaster. The danger is that organized criminal activity involves families living in the border areas of some areas, and youth.
The most important way to combat drug trafficking in the southern region is to strengthen the protection of state borders, close all possible ways of drug trafficking.
It was noted that the social rehabilitation of sentenced people is of great importance in the fight against illicit trafficking of drugs. All issues related to illicit drugs must be thoroughly examined. An important issue is to reveal latent processes in this area, examine their causes, prepare techniques and effective mechanisms, which may affect their dynamics, and identify ways of their use.
The Attorney-General of the Republic always paid attention at the questions on the most efficient organization in the new sphere of investigation, inquiry or prosecutorial control over operational and search measures in accordance with the requirements of current legislation, increase of procedural guidance by preliminary investigation, strengthening of the methodological work to improve the investigation file to form common practice, expansion of cooperation with relevant institutions of other countries and influential international organizations.
Supreme Court judge Seyfaliyev Ali, Deputy Minister of Health Elsevyar Agayev, Deputy Education Minister Elmar Gasimov, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Ismail Ismailov, deputy chief of State Border Service Asif Jabrailov, head of executive power of Lankaran Tofig Ibrahimov, head of executive power of Hajikabul Mukhtarov Ahmed, head of the department on combat legal violations in customs of the State Customs Committee Guloglan Muradli, deputy chief of the General Directorate of the Ministry of National Security Fazil Imamverdiyev and head of the National Office of propaganda against drugs and crime Mazahir Efendiyev.
