2020 / 03 / 07


On March 6, 2020, at the headquarters of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna, the SCO Secretary General Vladimir Norov met with the coordinator of the Paris Pact initiative, Marie-Ann Menier.
During the conversation, questions were discussed of further cooperation of the SCO Secretariat with UNODC through the Paris Pact mechanism.
V.Norov noted the close nature of the relationship between the two organizations, based on the common goals and objectives to curb illegal drug trafficking from Afghanistan. The result of such close cooperation, the SCO Secretary General recalled, was the holding, with the assistance of the Organization, of two meetings of the Paris Pact experts in 2018-2019. In addition, he informed the interlocutor about the development of a dialogue between the SCO and other large regional associations, in particular, with ASEAN, CSTO, CIS and OSCE.
M.-E.Menier noted that the SCO is the largest partner organization of the Paris Pact, the cooperation with which is due to the coincidence of the themes of the working groups of experts of the anti-drug departments of the member states with the corresponding sections of the 2012 Vienna Declaration. She also reported on preparations for the next meeting of the Paris Pact political advisory group on June 29-30, 2020, which will address issues of alternative economic development in Afghanistan and the synergies of efforts of relevant regional and international organizations.
The conversation was held in a businesslike and constructive atmosphere. An agreement was reached to continue working contacts.
The Paris Pact Initiative is one of the leading international programs to combat trafficking in Afghan opiates, which emerged from the Paris Declaration, signed in May 2003 at the Ministerial Conference to curb the route of drug trafficking from Central Asia to Europe. Currently, the Paris Pact partners are 58 states and 23 organizations, including the SCO. The SCO Secretariat hosted the meetings of the Paris Pact experts on cross-border cooperation (Beijing, November 13-15, 2018) and prevention of leakage of precursor chemicals (Shanghai, November 26-28, 2019).
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