Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are scheduled to hold a trilateral meeting in Tehran on Nov 6 to explore ways to promote cooperation among the three neighboring countries in the campaign against illicit drugs, Iran’s Mehr News Agency (MNA) reported.
The trilateral meeting, which will be the sixth of its kind, will be held for two days.
The meeting, which is supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), is aimed at coordinating campaigns against drug production in Afghanistan, MNA said.
According to the UN, Iran ranks first among all countries in the world in shutting down drug routes into its territory.
With a 900-kilometer border with Afghanistan, Iran has been used as the main conduit for smuggling illicit drugs from its neighbor to drug kingpins in Europe.
In response to the issue, the Iranian government has spent over US$700 million to seal its borders and prevent the transit of illicit drugs destined for European, Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries.
