KABUL: Uzbekistan has welcomed a ban on the opium trade by the Islamic Emirate and called it a crucial step forward in the campaign against drugs, a U.S.-based agency reported.
In an interview with Eurasianet website, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Ismatulla Irgashev hailed the ban and said: “The ban on the cultivation of opium poppy, and also on the production, sale and transportation of all types of narcotic substances has become a key step for definitively rooting this problem out.” The move to ban the wicked trade, was also important for the IEA to join efforts by regional states to further boost stability and security, Irgashev told the news website Gazeta.uz.
He called the ban a clear confirmation of the IEA’s conscientious behavior and their aspiration to make Afghanistan a responsible member of the international community.
Seeking relief for its neighbor, Uzbekistan recently asked for lifting sanctions on Afghanistan.
Irgashev hoped the ban on the opium trade would deprive militant outfits of a revenue source. The Kabul Times