Iranian Embassy in Armenia Responds to Ilham Aliyev's Statement

The Iranian Embassy in Armenia has responded to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's statement made during the CIS Heads of State Council meeting, alleging that "Armenia has used the Nagorno-Karabakh region in cooperation with Iran for drug trafficking to Europe." In response to an inquiry from Armenpress, the embassy noted that many countries' societies are unaware of the Islamic Republic of Iran's extensive fight against the illegal drug trade.

“In response to the accusations directed at the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Armenia during the CIS Heads of State Council meeting on October 15, it should be noted that the thousands of martyrs and injured in the fight against illegal drug trafficking over the past four decades represent only a small part of the Islamic Republic of Iran's committed and ongoing efforts against this nefarious phenomenon, which has been repeatedly confirmed by relevant international bodies,” the embassy stated.

The Islamic Republic of Iran cooperates closely with neighboring countries in the fight against illegal drug trafficking, which was also mentioned in the Prime Minister of Armenia's remarks in response to the claims made by the Azerbaijani president during the same meeting. Notably, according to the statement of the head of the police agency for combating drugs in Iran, since the beginning of 2021 until today, Iranian authorities have exchanged information regarding drug trafficking networks with the authorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 140 cases.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, due to its proximity to some of the largest drug production centers in the world, endures significant pressures in the course of combating illegal drug trafficking. According to official reports submitted by the Iranian government to international organizations, in 2020, Iranian law enforcement seized more than 1,147 tons of narcotics from smugglers and engaged in about 3,000 armed confrontations with traffickers, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of ten police officers. In 2021, despite problems arising from economic sanctions, Iran's fight against illegal drug trafficking, which requires enormous resources, recorded even more results.

Iran's efforts in combating drug trafficking led to the country achieving, by a significant margin, the highest rate of drug discoveries among countries worldwide. The volumes of drugs derived from opium discovered by Iran in recent years have been over 50% of the total quantity of drugs discovered globally.

During the meeting of the Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accused Armenia and Iran of being involved in drug trafficking through the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh towards Europe. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan countered Aliyev's claims, stating that Armenia and Iran cooperate closely in combating drug trafficking.