By Berk Kutay Gokmen
ISTANBUL (AA) – The interim Afghan administration on Tuesday called for international support to help farmers transition away from drug cultivation.
Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi made the appeal during a meeting with Bo Mathiasen, director of operations at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), according to a statement by his ministry.
Discussions focused on the Taliban administration’s efforts and progress in combating narcotics cultivation, production, trafficking, and addiction treatment.
Muttaqi described the fight against drugs as a “historic achievement,” emphasizing that all state institutions and security forces are committed to preventing the reemergence of the problem in Afghan society and the wider region.
He urged the international community to support Afghan farmers by promoting alternative livelihoods, legal income sources, and the development of agriculture, livestock, and small-scale industries.
He also warned that cross-border drug trafficking poses a serious threat to Afghanistan and called for concrete international action.
Mathiasen described his visit as significant, praised the administration’s anti-narcotics measures, and offered a positive assessment of ongoing efforts.
Both sides agreed that the fight against drugs must remain apolitical, humanitarian cooperation should continue, and counter-narcotics efforts must yield real, tangible results.
Opium cultivation in Afghanistan declined by 95% following a drug ban imposed by Taliban authorities, falling from 233,000 hectares to 10,800 hectares in 2023, according to a UNODC survey.