Wednesday, 16 September 2009 - Strasbourg
Debate:
Pino Arlacchi (ALDE) – Madam President, I am very much in favour of this agreement. I believe it is a big step forward in the cooperation between the European Union and Tajikistan, which is a very important country for several reasons.
I just want to quote one contribution to the stability and security of our continent of the EU. Tajikistan is at the crossroads of drug trafficking from Afghanistan to Europe and Russia. At least 30% of the heroin produced in Afghanistan comes to Europe and Russia through Tajikistan. Ten years ago, the international community started a big operation in Tajikistan, strengthening all the drug control apparatus, and I am very happy to see, ten years later, that it is working and that it is going ahead very well. This agreement is a direct contribution to the stability and security of Europe.
I see there are still many limitations and colleagues underlined the problems in Tajikistan in terms of human rights, poverty and so on, but I believe this agreement is Europe at its best and I am very much in favour of it.
[source: www.europarl.europa.eu]