On April 15, in Baku,the XXXVI International Conference on Drug Enforcement has started  jointly organized by the State Commission on Combating Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking and the United States Department of Justice's Drug Enforcement Administration.

The purpose of the Baku Conference, organized by the active participation of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan, on the theme "Mobilization of Global Partnerships",is to bring together senior officials involved in the global fight against drug trafficking, to discuss ways to solve this human problem and to exchange ideas and best practices.

The international conference, attended by 432 delegates from 115 countries, will facilitate the use of modern methods for combating illicit drug trafficking.

At the opening of the conference, the state flags of the United States of America and the Republic of Azerbaijan were first brought by the guard of honor.

Then the memory of those who died in the fight against illicit drug trafficking was commemorated with a moment of silence.

Then the national anthems of the USA and Azerbaijan were played.

Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Novruz Mammadov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Chairman of the State Commission on Combating Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking Ali Hasanov, Chairman of the State Customs Committee, Customs Lieutenant- General Safar Mehdiyev and the Ambassador of   USA in Azerbaijan Lee Litzenberger made a speech at the conference.

After the opening speeches, a joint photo was taken.

Then there was a look at the exhibition-sale.

Then the International Conference continued its work with discussion and workshop sessions of regional working groups.

It is imprtant to mention that the proposal to hold an international conference in our country was suggested by  the United States Department of Justice's Drug Enforcement Administration. By the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev dated November 15, 2018, the Organizing Committee was established to hold the XXXVI International Conference on Drug Enforcement in 2019 in Baku. According to the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated December 10, 2018 on some organizational issues related to the event, a working group was established and the Action Plan of the conference was approved.

The international conference was set up in 1983, a unique platform for finding ways to reduce the demand for drugs that seriously affect humanity, leading to new dangers and disasters. It has since become a worldwide forum with representatives from more than 130 countries.

The Baku conference, which will last until April 17, will focus on the discussions about drug enforcement.