TEHRAN —Iran and Austria have agreed to update a memorandum of understanding on combating narcotics inked between the two countries’ presidents in 2002.

In a meeting between Iranian and Austrian interior ministers in Vienna, the two arrived at a decision to form a working group comprising of the representatives of their ministries to revive the previously signed MOU, Mehr reported on Tuesday.

Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli and his Austrian counterpart, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, negotiated on issues such as narcotics trade, illegal immigration and cooperation between the two countries.

“Relations between Iran and Austria date back to about a century and a half ago, so our leaders should strive to cultivate the ties in all areas,” Rahmani Fazli noted.

“To establish global peace all countries should join hands in fighting terrorist activities and extremism,” he added.

He additionally expressed Iran’s readiness to hold the first summit in attendance of high-ranking officials of 31 countries mainly located in Balkan route focusing on issues such as border control and the laundering of money through drug trade.

The Balkan route is the main drug trafficking corridor linking Afghanistan to the huge markets of the Russian Federation and Western Europe. The Balkan route traverses the Islamic Republic of Iran (often via Pakistan), Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria across South-East Europe to the Western European market.

Rahmani Fazli further explained that Iran successfully seize 500 tons of drugs produced in Afghanistan and trafficking to Europe per annum.

Mikl-Leitner, for her part, thanked the Islamic Republic in combating drug trafficking and seizing more than a half a ton of heroines flowing from Afghanistan to Europe.

She additionally extended her gratitude to Iran’s International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) close cooperation with Austria INTERPOL and called for promoting cooperation as the two countries are located in the Balkan route.

On Monday, Rahmani Fazli signed an agreement with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Executive Director Yury Fedotov to fight the flow of narcotics into Iran from neighboring countries, mainly Afghanistan.

The UNODC Country Partnership Program outlines a five-year cooperation between Iran and the UNODC under which the Islamic Republic will be provided with USD 20 million for a range of activities, including border control and judicial processes.

MQ