ASHGABAT. May 13 (Interfax) - Turkmenistan's president has called for a crackdown on drug trafficking at a State Security Council meeting.
"It is necessary to continue irreconcilable action against drug trafficking in our country, and it must be comprehensive action, with the law enforcement agencies of the country, medical and educational institutions and nongovernmental organizations being involved," Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow said.
Turkmenistan has launched a program to coordinate anti-drug action, he said.
As part of the program, called Goknar (Hashish) 2010, coordinating committees have been set up in all Turkmen regions and specialized vehicles and helicopters are being used to spot and destroy drug plantations.
Meanwhile, Berdimuhamedow at the meeting also criticized the Interior Ministry and its problem of internal corruption: "Quite often law enforcement personnel take a criminal path in pursuit of personal gain. These outrageous facts are extra evidence of unsatisfactory morality-fostering work with personnel in the Interior Ministry system."