DUSHANBE, November 13, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- A two-day Regional Ministerial Conference on Counter-narcotics is concluding in Islamabad, Pakistan today.

According to the Drug Control Agency under the President of Tajikistan, the delegations from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime are participating in the meeting.

The DCA director Rustam Nazarov is expected to deliver a statement at the meeting today, the source said.

The delegates are reportedly discussing prospects of regional cooperation in developing pragmatic, comprehensive and sustainable ways of addressing the multifaceted challenge posed by illicit drugs production, demand and trafficking.

China’s news agency, Xinhua, reports that the senior officials from the 13 regional countries participated in the first session of the meeting held at a local hotel.  They reportedly held technical level discussion on the agenda for the ministerial meet that is being held today.   

Pakistan''s Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani in his opening remarks at the first session reiterated his government''s resolve to curb drug trafficking in the region.  He said Pakistan has taken a number of steps to address the growing threat of narcotics. As a result, Pakistan became a Poppy Free Country in 2011 and, currently, leads the world in narcotic drugs control, he told the gathering.

Xinhua quoted Pakistani officials as saying that the whole idea of the conference is to exchange views and discuss concrete proposals because all these countries are the affected countries.