In the beginning of session, the secretary general of the World Customs Organization Michel Dane has summed up the last working day.

After that before participants of conference, chairman of the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan Kamaladdin Heydarov has acted. He noted that in September of 1998, in this hall, at support of programs TACIS-TRACECA of the European Union, there passed the international conference on the theme “Restoration of the Historical Silk Road” initiated by the President of the Azerbaijan Republic Heydar Aliyev. In work of that conference participating were heads of states and governments from 32 countries and 12 international organizations. As a result, was singing “The Basic Multilateral Agreement on the International Transport for Development of the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia”, and the technical appendix to the given agreement. With realization of program ТРАСЕCА, the freight traffic, passenger turnover and volume of trade increases, that, unfortunately, is quite often connected to growth of smuggling, including narcotics, drug substances, and arms.

Azerbaijan is located on junction of Europe and Asia. In view of it, we take all measures to not allow use by narcotic dealers the territory of our Republic as a "reloading point" for transit of drugs to Europe.

Head of the Customs Committee of Azerbaijan has declared, that struggle against narcotics and illegal circulation of drugs in the Azerbaijan Republic is a nation-wide problem. As the national leader of Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev marked: “It is combat for physical and mental health of each people, the nation”. Resolutely having joined in struggle against the said evil, Azerbaijan has joined all three base international conventions of the United Nations concerning sphere of struggle against illegal circulation of drugs, has concluded a lot of the interstate agreements directed on erection of reliable barrier on a way illegal drug turnover. Kamaladdin Heydarov has told that as a whole there was set an effective legislative base providing serious punishments for smuggling and spread of drug addiction. For coordination of interdepartmental actions in the said sphere, the permanent State Commission and structures similar to it in all cities and areas of republic have been created.

Mr. Heydarov noted that the condition of narcotic situation in Azerbaijan is on a regular basis discussed at the governmental level, at sessions of the State Commission with participation of representatives of law enforcement bodies. The second National program on struggle against illegal circulation of narcotics, psychotropic substances, and is successfully put into practice by distribution of narcotics. As the President of the Azerbaijan Republic Mr. Ilham Aliyev has told: “Azerbaijan also will combat henceforth against illegal circulation of drugs and narcotics”.

In his statement, Mr. Kamaladdin Heydarov has especially emphasized that the certain difficulty at the control on narcotics in the Republic is created with the Karabakh region. Chairman of the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan has reminded to participants of conference of twenty percent of the occupied territory of the Country, in this connection, quantity taken there from the countries of CIS and Europe of narcotics to corresponding state bodies is out of control.

Carrying out of some the international forums in Azerbaijan, such as the fifth meeting of countries - participants of the memorandum of mutual understanding on regional cooperation in the field of the control over drugs in the Central Asia which passed in Baku in December 2003, and also the trust rendered to Azerbaijan on the part of the World Customs Organization in carrying out of the current conference, is a recognition of the powerful contribution of our country in business of struggle against illegal circulation of drugs and acknowledgement of that practical actions of the Azerbaijan Republic in this direction have found the international recognition, he stressed. Struggle against illegal circulation of narcotics is one of the priority directions of activity of customs bodies. Mr. Heydarov has noted that individual efforts of the separate countries are insufficient for successful struggle against smuggling drugs. For this reason, the international cooperation and information interchange are inevitable. Azerbaijan closely cooperates with the regional and international organizations, customs services of the countries CIS, ECO, GUUAM, and the European Union, using thus effective mechanisms of the World Customs Organization.

As a result of the carried out in 1999-2003s by the customs bodies of the Azerbaijan Republic of actions 226 facts of illegal moving of drugs were revealed and is withdrawn more than 123 kg of narcotics, including strong drugs, basically of the Afghani origin. On the customs post "Ferry Passage" the transit cargo - seeds of poppy, by gross weight of 48,6 tons, accompanied with the documents containing doubtful data, and following from Afghanistan to India has been stopped. According to the expert judgment, the cargo has been intended for cultivation of poppy in the territory of 11 thousand 226 hectares. In result, the confiscated cargo has been destroyed at participation of representatives of the international organizations, foreign embassies and mass media.

Concerning estimation of manufacturing opium in Afghanistan in 2003, Mr. Heydarov noted that it specifies the next increase in a crop of this plant that is obviously reflected on narcotic situation in the region. So, by the customs bodies of Azerbaijan in 2003, 66 facts of smuggling of narcotics were revealed and is withdrawn from illegal circulation about 45 kg of drugs, and, more than 90 percent make heavy drugs, such, as opium, hashish and heroin.

Chairman of Customs Committee of Azerbaijan has expressed confidence that the current conference will play the important role in expansion of cooperation between customs services of the countries and the international organizations, and the produced decisions will effectively promote struggle against illegal circulation of drugs.

Representatives of customs services of Bulgaria, Hungary, Iran and other countries have taken part in the discussions.

Participants of conference adopted a final Baku Declaration. The Declaration says:

“Recognizing, that illegal circulation of drugs, narcotic and psychotropic substances and other kinds of swindle represent serious and growing threat to public health and prosperity of society;

Realizing the fact, that activity of drug-dealers includes, in particular, the international moving of narcotics and psychotropic substances, and also money-laundering, including the organized crime;

Being informed in that, the international terrorism is financed by the means received from smuggling of drugs and other forms of the organized crime;

Marking economic and commercial importance of the Great Silk Road and necessity of simplification of the unobstructed stream of legal trade along the said strategic way and the railway artery connecting the East with the West, etc.,

It is stated to communicate the data and documents with use of existing communications and also to carry out corresponding technical cooperation and assist in the field of training, the organization of services and granting of the corresponding equipment.