By RFE/RL’s Tajik Service
May 9, 2023
Tajikistan has asked member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to establish an independent agency to combat drug trafficking from Afghanistan. Foreign Affairs Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin says he also told a high-level meeting of officials from the SCO last week in India that it was important to establish a “safety belt” around Afghanistan. The proposal comes days after a Tajik soldier was killed in a clash between government forces and smugglers in Badakhshan Province. Tajikistan shares more than 1,300 kilometers of border with Afghanistan, a major producer of drugs.