“Afghanistan has turned into major producer of methamphetamine”

The international affairs director general of Iran’s Center for Fighting Drugs has said the organization’s success in reducing the demand for drug abuse meets the highest world standards.

Amirabbas Lotfi who is accompanying the head of the center at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna made the remark in a meeting with the director general of the Dutch Ministry of Welfare and Sports.

Lofti also outlined Iran’s measures aimed at rehabilitating female drug addicts, which have been approved by the UN.

The official added that the challenges posed by narcotics are international and are not limited to a single country or a region.

In a meeting with a senior advisor to Norway’s Ministry of Health, Lotfi referred to Iran’s geographical position alongside Afghanistan, the largest producer of drugs.

He noted that Iran welcomes any decrease in the cultivation of narcotics in Afghanistan but noted that there has been no considerable reduction in drug-trafficking from the neighboring country.

He also said Afghanistan has turned into a major producer of methamphetamine, which must be taken seriously and be investigated.

Lotfi added that Tehran is worried about the situation in Afghanistan in this regard. The Norwegian side also said it’s impossible that drug production has reached zero in Afghanistan, adding that any reduction in the production of narcotics, if at all, will be temporary and Afghanistan will resume producing drugs.

He noted that as a European country, Norway should seek technical and specialized cooperation with Iran for the purpose of combating drugs, and given that Iran has high capabilities in this field, Norway needs to work with the country regardless of politics.

Iran’s fight against narcotics and drug-trafficking has cost the country dearly. Around 4,000 Iranians have been killed in fighting drugs over the past 40 years.

The UN has hailed Iran’s efforts to prevent drugs from reaching Europe through the Middle East.