Saudi Arabia, Syria discuss cooperation in combating drug trafficking

By Yusuf Alioğlu and Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - Saudi and Syrian officials discussed bilateral cooperation in combating drug trafficking and tracking down dealers.

The discussions took place during a meeting Thursday between Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz and a Syrian delegation visiting the kingdom.

The delegation included Deputy Head of Syrian Intelligence Mouaffaq Doukhi and the Director of Syria’s Counter-Narcotics Administration, Khaled Eid.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Prince Abdulaziz and the Syrian officials discussed "a number of topics of mutual interest, including cooperation between the two countries in combating drug trafficking and pursuing dealers."

As part of the visit, the Syrian officials visited the General Directorate of Public Security and the General Directorate of Narcotics Control in the capital Riyadh.

According to SPA, during the visits, the officials were briefed on "the operational mechanisms and security tasks of both directorates." They also received a summary of the latest technologies used in these departments.

Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.