Statement of the National Council of Democratic Forces of Azerbaijan "On drug-trafficking"

                                                                  Statement

of the National Council of Democratic Forces of Azerbaijan

"On drug-trafficking"

The Georgian Interior Ministry reported the seizure of 93 units of 30-kilogram canisters of liquid heroin weighing 2,790 kilograms 11 July 2014 in a truck that arrived in Georgia from Azerbaijan. This is an unprecedented and shameful event in the history of Azerbaijan, but the most unprecedented is the rejection of explanations from the official structures of Azerbaijan, which does not skimp on the details of the arrests of civil society activists on false charges of consumption and sale of drugs.  Such position of the Azerbaijani authorities indicates direct involvement of government agencies and individual officials in drug trafficking and international drug-trafficking, and they turned Azerbaijan into the route for trafficking.

It is a fact, but the growth of drug trafficking occurs during the "big oil." Former U.S. Ambassador Anne  Derse  stated in 2008 a sharp rise  of Azerbaijan's role in the delivery of drugs into Europe from Afghanistan. According to the report of the UN Office on Drugs and crime in 2012,  through Azerbaijan were transported 308 tons of drugs. The  UN World Drug Report in  2013 recorded the highest level of injecting drug users just in Azerbaijan, more than five percent of population. Azerbaijan is also among the countries with the highest use of  heroin and other hard drugs. The report “Strategy 2013 International drug control (INCSR)”  of the  U.S. State Department noted that the Azerbaijani government impedes the realization of progress in the fight against drug abuse and drug-trafficking. A message  of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Baku published recently  openly confirmed this. It noted that official Baku does not respond to Iran's proposal on cooperation with Azerbaijan in the fight against drug trafficking.

Weighty facts testify  criminal  involvement of senior officials in Azerbaijan  in drug-trafficking at a high international level. Azerbaijani officials  are involved in crimes related to drugs, not only abroad, the destruction of the gene pool of the peoples not only in its own country ,  but also  in  other countries. According to international organizations, billions of funds received from  drug-trafficking  are spent to the support of terrorism, crime, the suppression of freedoms and civil initiatives. Unfortunately, a number  media close to the authorities unsuccessfully tried to mislead the society. Referring to the non-existent statement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, they reported that the cargo did not  pass through the territory of Azerbaijan, or the operation was carried out  jointly with the relevant authorities of Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Along with the trafficking of people,  drug-trafficking has become a global national tragedy of the Azerbaijani people, which  the current government has created and continues to support, and is cashing in on the degrading woes of millions of people.

The National   Council of Democratic Forces of Azerbaijan condemns this criminal policy of the authorities, and, based on the interests of society and its security, demands from the authorities of Azerbaijan:

1. Clarifications about the detention on 11 July by  the Georgian Interior Ministry about three tons of heroin en route from Azerbaijan,

2. Clarification of the international reports about Azerbaijan's role in the international  drug-trafficking,

3. Identify the names of those who organize and control the supply of drugs in Azerbaijan and its further transit,

4. To bring to justice people involved in drug-trafficking  at all levels,  

5. To adopt   and carry out with participation of society  an effective program to combat drug-trafficking.

Baku, 19.07.2014