Iran, Tajikistan set to sign security agreement

Iran and Tajikistan plan to sign an agreement on fighting offense and crime soon in a bid to enhance mutual security cooperation between the two countries, Tajikistan interior ministry announced on Monday. “Preparing this document was among the topics discussed during a meeting between the Iranian interior ministry delegation presided by Taha Taheri and Tajik interior ministry officials presided by Interior Minister Ramazan Rahimov,” Tajik Interior Ministry’s Press Bureau in a statement said. It said the Iranian interior ministry delegation visited Tajikistan to take part in the regional conference on combating drug trafficking in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe.   During the meeting, Taheri and Rahimov expressed the hope that after signing the agreement, an appropriate ground would be prepared for the two countries' organizations to launch joint attempts to exercise laws and expand cooperation in combating crimes. Addressing a conference on campaign against drug-trafficking attended by representatives of 12 countries and held in Dushanbe on Saturday, Taheri warned that growing drug-trafficking in Afghanistan has resulted in the spread of terrorism and organized crime to Iran. “The revenues gained through the transit and trafficking of narcotics will increase organized crime and terrorism in Iran,” Taha Taheri said, He pointed to Iran’s hundreds of kilometers of shared border with Afghanistan, and said, “Countries which have common borders with Afghanistan can help that country to shift poppy cultivation and opium production to other (agro) products through appropriate security and economic plans and programs.” Taheri reiterated that the main threat to Iran’s security and society is drug trafficking and transit of narcotics via Iran which inflicts massive human and financial losses on the country.