DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, March 12 (UPI) -- Tajikistan's government held talks Thursday with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to strengthen ties on combating drug trafficking.
Tajikistan's interior minister, Abdurrahim Khaharov, met with top OSCE officials -- including Senior Police Adviser Kevin Carty and Klaus Rasmussen, deputy head of the OSCE office in Tajikistan -- to address concerns about the ongoing threat from transnational criminal groups smuggling narcotics and other illicit goods through Central Asia.
Officials said the meeting was held in an effort by Tajikistan to strengthen cooperation with the OSCE on reforming the country's police to better counter narcotics trafficking and other threats.
"The OSCE office in Tajikistan is ready to respond to the needs of the Interior Ministry, to support law enforcement agencies in taking a more strategic approach to combating crime and drug trafficking in Tajikistan and providing security to all citizens," Rasmussen said in a statement.
The Thursday meeting's agenda also addressed a new joint training effort to support Afghan police reform on countering the Taliban drug trade.
