Monitoring Desk: Participants of 24th OSCE Ministerial Council expressed their concerns over increasing terrorism, drug trade and exceptional increase in poppy production in Afghanistan
24th OSCE Ministerial Council in Vienna Austria discussed grave issues including radicalization, terrorism, drug trade and human rights abuses and a number of participants expressed their concerns over Afghan civil war as this war is spreading terrorism and drugs to European countries.
Canadian Foreign Minister Christina Alexandra Freeland held talks with Foreign Affairs Minister of Tajikistan Sirodjidin Aslov, to know the gravity of threats from spreading terrorism over Central Asian borders from Afghanistan.
It is pertinent to mention that poppy cultivation and opium production in Afghanistan has recorded 87% increase this year comparing to previous year’s production, indicates latest UNODC Survey Report. Over 82% of drugs are travelled to North American and European countries and drug trade is one of the biggest financers of terrorism in Afghanistan where Taliban and Islamic State (known also as Daesh) are fighting to claim productive land in Southern Afghanistan to capture drug productions.
According to annual report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 87 per cent rise in opium cultivation and production has been recorded in Afghanistan. The rise is due to massive increase in poppy growing areas in Afghanistan because the writ of US and Afghan forces is now limited to certain urban areas while ruler areas have virtually under the control of Taliban who are growing and producer drugs to meet their cash requirement for funding their fight against Afghan and US forces. UNODC Survey Report indicates that the area under opium poppy cultivation has increased to a record 328,000 hectares in 2017 comparing to 201,000 hectares of 2016.
