Afghanistan Peace Campaign
The United Nations Development Program in Tajikistan has announced that the Japanese government, through its International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will finance the “Border Management” project between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
According to Central Asia’s Times newspaper on Friday, February 9th, this project was launched in early 2015 and will continue until 2025.
Reports indicate that preventing drug trafficking from Afghanistan to Tajikistan and facilitating cross-border trade are among the objectives of this project.
It is worth mentioning that since the start of this project, both sides have established a new border inspection post in “Langar” and equipped the old inspection posts in “Khamroghi and Shogun.”
Earlier, in 2018, Japan allocated around $4.6 million to improve infrastructure at the border with Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Tajikistan’s Drug Control Agency claims that there is no sign of a decrease in drug trafficking from Afghanistan to Tajikistan in the past two years, and trafficking of various drugs from heroin and opium to methamphetamines continues unabated.
Despite the ongoing efforts and investments in border management projects, the persistence of drug trafficking remains a significant challenge in the region.
The collaboration between Japan and Tajikistan underscores the importance of international cooperation in addressing cross-border challenges such as drug trafficking and trade facilitation.