ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu took part in the seventh online ministerial-level meeting “Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats” at the invitation of the United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on July 7, reported the Foreign Ministry’s press service.
At the meeting that brought together 60 countries, Blinken encouraged the international community to join efforts through the initiated Global Coalition to prevent the illegal production and trafficking of synthetic drugs, detect emerging trends and respond effectively to their impact on health.
Nurtleu outlined specific measures spelled out in the Comprehensive Plan to Combat Drug Addiction and Drug Trafficking for 2023-2025, adopted on the instructions of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, which enabled the government to tackle the issue of synthetic drugs on the national and regional levels.
The minister discussed the work carried out by Kazakhstan to finalize national legislation, suppress drug trafficking, detect criminal offenses, eliminate organized criminal groups and clandestine labs, and collaborate with neighboring countries and international organizations.
Nurtleu highlighted that the spread of synthetic drugs poses a real threat to the country’s stability and security, impedes the development of countries, and becomes one of the main sources for financing terrorism and other transnational criminal activity.
The meeting participants held panel discussions on the key issues concerning the challenges and threats of current drug-related crimes and agreed to work together to solve the problem effectively.
The participants also adopted a Declaration on a comprehensive and systematic response to the emerging threats in this field.
Source : Astana Times