Between November 10 and November 17 EU Delegation Programme Manager Cosimo Lamberti and CADAP 7 Director Ernest Robello have undertaken working visit to Turkmenistan. The mission main goal was to meet CADAP beneficiaries and stakeholders, to update them on the progress made, to discuss country update on baseline situation, issues and challenges, to brief local media on EU-Central Asia new cooperation strategy and EU-funded projects.
During the meetings with the Ministry of Interior and other national counterparts, information on the progress of the implementation of CADAP7 was briefly announced, a number of issues and proposals regarding bilateral and regional cooperation were touched upon. The current drug situation in the world and region has been discussed, taking into account the threats of international drug trafficking and the spread of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances of synthetic origin emanating from Afghanistan.
Mr Geldimyrat Haldurdyyev – Head of international relations – Ministry of Interior, expressed gratitude to the European Union and CADAP programme for continuous support that was provided to Turkmenistan during previous phases, especially for technical and expert assistance and assured readiness for successful implementation of the Work Plan under the new phase.
During briefings with local media an overview of new EU-CA Cooperation strategy was given, current and emerging challenges in the region have been discussed and availability of European expertise emphasized in new emerging trends such as methamphetamine and new psychoactive substances use.
It should be noted that a wide range of activities is planned for Turkmenistan within CADAP 7 – development of a roadmap on drug control, ttechnical support to policy and partners, improving data collection, production and dissemination of targeted studies, development of preventive and treatment programmes in accordance with EU standards.
