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Afghanistan crisis driving farmers to ramp up drug production, Kazakhstan warns

Vienna, Mar 14 (EFE).- Kazakhstan on Thursday raised concerns at the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna that Afghanistan’s growing international isolation under the Taliban regime is exacerbating the country’s humanitarian crisis and pushing farmers into drug cultivation “en masse.”

“The international isolation will only exacerbate this country’s humanitarian and socioeconomic crisis, potentially causing Afghan farmers to resume drug cultivation en masse,” said Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu.

For years, Afghanistan was the world’s leading producer of opium and heroin. However, under the Taliban’s rule, which began in the summer of 2021, production initially fell significantly, partly due to a severe drought in the Central Asian country.

“We are actively working to foster meaningful multilateral dialogue with the de facto authorities in Kabul on security issues, including drug trafficking,” Nurtleu said.

In this context, the minister highlighted Kazakhstan’s proposal to establish a United Nations Center for Sustainable Development for Central Asia and Afghanistan.

Located in Almaty, “this center will reinforce the unified UN approach and promote synergy among international organizations,” said Nurtleu, whose country has emerged as a regional power and mediator in Central Asia.

“We stand ready to engage with all stakeholders on this important initiative in the spirit of multilateralism and good faith,” the minister affirmed.

According to the Kazakh government, recent years have seen at least a tenfold increase in synthetic drug seizures in Central Asia, a “worrying trend” that Nurtleu described as a real threat to the region’s collective security and sustainable development. EFE

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(photo)

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