KRG and UNODC sign and agreement to combat drug smuggling

Shafaq News / The Kurdistan Regional Government on Sunday signed a memorandum of cooperation with an international organization specialized in combating drugs and reducing smuggling across borders.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Coordinator for International Advocacy, Dindar Zebari, said in a press conference that KRG has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, to reduce the spread and smuggling of drugs.

"There are 4,000 convicted prisoners on drug-related cases in the Region. We need international assistance because the region is facing a great danger in this regard, and we are struggling to control the borders through which drugs are being smuggled."

Zebari added, "We have agreed on three main points: controlling the borders with Turkey, Iran, and Syria, securing the Kurdish areas outside the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government, and organizing awareness campaigns to educate people about the dangers of drugs."

For his part, the head of the UNODC office in Iraq, Ali Akbar, said, "We have agreed with the Kurdistan Regional Government to cooperate on drug combating, and these points will be raised to the United Nations to reduce the risks of drugs in the region, Iraq, and the countries of the region in general."