Iran, Italy Agree to Boost Anti-Drug Cooperation

The agreement was reached in a meeting between  Commander of the anti-narcotics squad of Iran’s Law Enforcement Police General Ali Moayyedi and Italy’s Director of the Central Directorate for Anti-Drug Services Major General Andrea De Gennaro in the Italian capital on Thursday.

During the meeting, the Iranian and Italian officials underlined the need for closer cooperation between Tehran and Rome in the fight against drugs.

They also called for establishment of a joint operations center between Iran, Italy and Afghanistan in that regard.

“The center would follow up the implementation of previous agreements reached between the three countries,” General Moayyedi said.

Moayyedi noted that Iran and Italy have also agreed to cooperate in training drug enforcement forces and exchange information and experience in that respect.

Gennaro, for his part, highlighted Iran’s role in the global anti-narcotics campaign and praised the Islamic Republic’s effective measures against drug trade.

The meeting came on the sidelines of the 31st session of the International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC), which wrapped up its work on Thursday.

The IDEC is an annual meeting of the heads of anti-drug agencies worldwide.

Iran, which has a 900-kilometer common border with Afghanistan, has been used as the main conduit for smuggling Afghan drugs to narcotics kingpins in Europe.

Despite high economic and human costs, the Islamic Republic has been actively fighting drug trafficking over the past three decades.