Tajikistan Elected Member of UNODC

DUSHANBE (RIA Novosti) — Tajikistan has been elected a member of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Tajik Foreign Ministry officials told RIA Novosti, Tajikistan received the overwhelming majority of votes – 46 out of 54 – as a result of a secret ballot conducted on April 29, 2005 during a plenary meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

"It is the first successful nomination of Tajikistan as a member of a UN official body since its accession to this prestigious international organization and this success on the global arena has great and long-lasting significance for the country," the Tajik foreign ministry officials stressed.

They believe Tajikistan will expand its involvement in various global issues and improve its international status as a result of becoming an UNODC member.

South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Japan have also been elected UNODC members.

The major part of 1,300-km border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan passes through difficult-to-access regions, which are hard to protect. It is a main conduit of drugs to Central Asia, Russia and Western Europe.