Luanda – The Angolan Foreign minister, Téte António, on Friday in the Province of Luanda, urged the commitment of the States and the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to fight against trafficking, trade and consumption of synthetic and psychotropic drugs.
The government official was speaking during a virtual ministerial-level meeting on the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats which was headed by the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken from Washington DC, U.S.
He said that the world community must come together to share information and develop strategies and action plans to join action to fight the production and illicit trafficking of synthetic drugs.
"We must also support each other to learn how to prevent and treat drug consumption", he added.
The minister shared, with his peers, Angola's experience in relation to this issue and reaffirmed his government commitment to fight it.
Téte António said that Angola was committed to this cause and due to that the National Institute for the Fight against Drugs (INALUD), was created and it works together with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), tackling the impact of illegal drug use.
Due to its strategic geographical location as a preferential transit route by sea, land or air to other destinations, Angola recognizes the need to pay special attention to this issue and, therefore, is committed to cooperating with other countries at regional and international level to fight trafficking and strive for a world free of illegal drugs.
This meeting on the Global Coalition to Face the Threats of Synthetic Drugs was attended by almost all the heads of diplomacy of countries from Europe, America, Asia and Africa, especially those facing this issue.
Besides Angola, the Foreign Affairs Ministers of Morocco, Comoros, Ghana and South Africa, represented the African continent.
As an initiative of the US Department of State, the meeting aims to prevent the illicit manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs, identify emerging drug threats and usage patterns, promote public health interventions and services to prevent and reduce drug use, use, overdoses and other related harms.
FMA/SC/MRA/jmc
