OSCE supports Afghan-Central Asia co-operation to fight drugs trade

Five senior Afghan law enforcement officials attended a two-day study visit on fighting drugs trafficking from 20 to 21 June 2013 in Tashkent. The visit was organized by the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department in co-operation with the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan.

During the visit the Afghan delegation met with Uzbekistan’s law enforcement authorities and participated in a roundtable discussion with representatives from relevant international organizations and embassies in Uzbekistan.

“The goal of this visit is to promote bilateral and regional co-operation and the timely sharing of information in the drug-fighting sphere. Sharing solutions between different national law enforcement personnel helps develop effective counter-narcotic strategies,” said Marco Kubny, head of the Transnational Threats Department’s Strategic Police Matters Unit.

The participants learnt about the operational practices of neighbouring countries. They discussed the practical application of new tools and mechanisms and realistic case-management as well as special investigative techniques and interagency co-operation methods.

The visit is part of a larger OSCE-supported project to promote co-operation and information-sharing between Afghan law enforcement agencies at all levels and their counterparts in neighbouring countries.