PREVENTING AND COUNTERING DRUG TRAFFICKING
Background information
As a transit point at the intersection of Europe and Asia, the territory of Azerbaijan has become a part of routes for transnational drug traffickers.
Furthermore, the occupation of approximately 20% of the Azerbaijani territories for about 30 years resulted in 132 km of the southern state borders to be remained out of Azerbaijan’s sovereign control and without international oversight. This part of the state borders of Azerbaijan has been frequently used for the trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. This fact has been reflected in the relevant reports of several states and international organizations.
Following the 44 days of Patriotic War, Azerbaijan has liberated its territories from Armenian occupation and restored its territorial integrity, as well as its control over the whole state borders. Subsequently Ministry of Defence and other law-enforcement agencies of the Republic of Azerbaijan conducted counter-narcotic operations in the liberated territories as a result of which 20 tons of cannabis bush and significant amount of other types of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances have been seized in Aghdam, Gubadli, Shusha, Khojavand, Zangilan, Fuzuli and Kalbajar districts of Azerbaijan and eliminated.
Measures at the national level
The Republic of Azerbaijan pursues its anti-drug policy through a three-pillar approach: demand reduction, supply reduction and international cooperation.
- Drug demand reduction
On the demand reduction side, the authorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan carry out effective prevention strategies that include several important components, including advanced treatment methods for drug addicts and awareness-raising campaigns.
The State Commission on Combating Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Drugs headed by Deputy Prime Minister plays a significant role in this process. The Commission adopts State Programs on countering drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking and monitors its implementation by relevant agencies. The latest State Program covers the years of 2019-2024.
The Commission has established its local units in rural areas in order to cover the whole territory of the country. Through its regular projects, the Commission undertakes an active awareness-raising campaign among the population on the harmful effects of drug abuse and its negative consequences.
Treatment methods of drug addicts have been modernized to be in line with international standards and the treatment facilities have been equipped with advanced systems.
- Drug supply reduction
Drug supply measures are mainly connected with the activities of law-enforcement agencies in the fight against illicit trafficking in drugs.
According to the research, the following major drug trafficking routes that traverse the territory of Azerbaijan have been identified:
- Afghanistan - Iran - Azerbaijan - Europe
- Afghanistan - Turkmenistan - Azerbaijan - Europe
- International cooperation
Considering that the drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking involve more than one country along the supply chain, the need for bilateral and multilateral cooperation among the countries involved in the trafficking process is of utmost necessity.
Azerbaijan is a Party to the international drug control conventions, namely the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 and UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988.
Besides three UN conventions, Azerbaijan is a Party to the Partial Agreement establishing the Pompidou Group of the Council of Europe on cooperation to combat drug abuse and illicit trafficking in drugs (resolutions 80 (02) and 80 (15) of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe).
Cooperation agreements have been signed with the relevant agencies of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Egypt, Gulf States, CIS member states and other countries.
Within the framework of cooperation between the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and its Regional Office for Central Asia and government agencies of the Republic of Azerbaijan, appropriate support is provided in combatting drug trafficking and drug addiction.
Azerbaijan also actively participates in a number of international projects in this field. In the framework of the Drug Control Program in South Caucasus jointly financed by EU and UN, nine regional centers have been created within the Ministry of Interior and a national computerized database on drugs, psychotropic substances and illicit trafficking of precursors has been established.
Azerbaijan is an active member of the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Center (CARICC) based in Almaty, Kazakhstan and tasked to facilitate drug-related law-enforcement and intelligence information sharing among the Member States. As one of the initiators of the Center, the Republic of Azerbaijan considers CARICC as an achievement of the countries in the region and as a good example of regional cooperation that deserves to be duplicated.