NATO and Russia launch Afghanistan counter-narcotics training

At their meeting on 8 December, Foreign Ministers from the NATO-Russia Council agreed to launch a pilot project on counter-narcotics training of Afghan and Central Asian personnel.

The pilot project is meant to support international efforts to promote security and stability in and around Afghanistan , and particularly those aimed at addressing the threats posed by the trafficking in narcotics, including its links to the financing of terrorism.

Building local capacity

Training courses will be offered to relevant personnel from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The aim is to build local capacity and to promote regional networking and cooperation.

The project will be conducted in close cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which will play a key role in its implementation.

Taking into consideration the specific needs of trainees from the region, and in consultation with the relevant national authorities of the eligible states, the training offered will draw upon relevant elements of courses developed by various agencies in NATO-Russia Council member countries – such as the Turkish International Academy Against Drugs and Organised Crime (TADOC), the Russian Domodedovo Counter-Narcotics Training Centre, as well as existing bilateral training courses offered in the region by NRC member states.

Courses will be two-to-three-weeks long and will be offered to mid-level officials from relevant national agencies in Afghanistan and Central Asia .

Curricula will include both theoretical preparation and operational field exercises, and may also include the use of “train-the-trainers” approaches to maximise the impact of the initiative.