Deputy PM: Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh used for drugs transit

The territory of the Armenian-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh is used for the transit of drugs and cultivation of narcotic drugs, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Committee of Azerbaijan on Combating Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Ali Hasanov said at a meeting of the committee on Friday.

As a result of the occupation of 20 per cent of Azerbaijani territory, the 132 kilometres long state border was left with no controls, he said.

According to Hasanov, there are three routes of illicit drug transit across the country: Afghanistan-Pakistan-Iran-Azerbaijan, Afghanistan-Iran-Azerbaijan and Afghanistan-Central Asia-Azerbaijan.

"There is another illicit drug transit route which is not included on the map of international illicit drug transit routes. That is, the Afghanistan-Iran-Nagorno-Karabakh route. Azerbaijan has already sent an appeal to international organisations to include this route on the map," Hasanov said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.


/Trend/