For all of the world's recorded history, Armenia and Armenians have found themselves on the crossroads of civilization, on a most trampled path which over the centuries has taken the civilizations of Asia west and south, Europeans east, and everyone else across the Eurasian continent and beyond. This process of give and take has resulted in invaluable trade and integration of values and traditions.

Today, those same crossroads serve to promote not just legitimate, essential, vital, reciprocal economic trade and development, but also the transport of illicit drugs throughout the Eurasian continent. This production -- a significant sector of the economy of certain developing states Հ travels to consumer states across borders that are often porous.

Central Asia and the Caucasus is inarguably the region through which drugs are transported from east to west. Although Armenia lies on this route, in our case, there is an irony that cannot be ignored. For nearly a decade, Armenia has been subjected to a blockade from our neighbors to the east and the west. This has been a major hindrance to the development of our economy and to the advancement of regional cooperation. This same blockade, however, has served to block the trafficking of illicit drugs. From neither Turkey nor Azerbaijan, can the distribution chain pass through Armenia. Nor can the terrorism and other threats often associated with the narcotics trade affect us as easily. Unfortunately, the blockade can do little against the unfounded, propagandistic accusations sometimes hurled our way by those very neighbors, such as the kind of accusations that weղve heard here from Azerbaijan. We -- Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh Հ would welcome international factfinding missions to the region. In fact, weղve been advocating such visits to Nagorno Karabagh to dispel such politically motivated accusations.

Still, Armenia remains a socially and economically vulnerable country. As a government, we are aware of the need to adhere to the many conventions we have acceded to, in order, jointly with the international community, to prevent the scourge of drugs and its derivative dangers. But so long as in so many of our societies, the basic human needs of so many of our citizens have yet to be met, we must acknowledge that the temptation to engage in the illusion of profitable drug sales is great.

Of course, the truth lies somewhere. The truth is that neither producer nor user nor even the average middleman are the actual beneficiaries of this economic cycle. On the contrary, a few large, organized entities benefit from a crime with immense and tragic social consequences for the population and for the country.

Today, our concerns as a global society are for the health of our citizens, and the security of our countries. Porous borders facilitate the travel of infectious diseases, as well as illicit drugs. They also enable the laundering of funds derived from this trade. Armenia is committed to obstructing the north-south flow of drugs through our country, whatever their point of origin.

This commitment is reflected in the allocation of resources at our borders. It is also reflected in our political will to work bilaterally with all the countries affected to strike a functional, realistic, mutually beneficial collaboration among neighbors along these routes.

We believe that fundamentally, it is political will, again, which must be invoked if the production problem is to be resolved. Today, in Afghanistan, for example, there is sufficient international presence coupled with the articulated intentions of the leaders of Afghanistan to do away with this global economic, social, health and security threat. All of those in leadership positions in Afghanistan today are on the same side of this battle. The growers themselves, too, can be brought into our camp, if they are offered economic alternatives to what is otherwise the most lucrative agriculture option available to them.

From Afghanistan to Iran, Armenia lies on the route north to the large and attractive Russian market. The bulk of the illegal trafficking through our territory follows this route. Our commitment to reducing this traffic is reflected in the Memorandum of Understanding we signed with Georgia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as the UNDCP to exchange experience and information, train personnel, and take steps to control manufacture, trade, use and demand for narcotics.

We are fortunate that in Armenia, despite the many social and economic needs, the numbers of those who use and abuse drugs are comparatively low. In 2002, there were less than 500 recorded criminal cases of drug use, and a slightly larger number of lesser offenses. A similar number of individuals has been charged with drug-related crimes. The number of crimes associated with illegal sale of drugs was under 100.

Still, in a population as small and homogeneous as ours, even these numbers can threaten the health of our population. In Armenia, half of all HIV patients have been infected through needle sharing. The potential threat of this is enormous. Our public awareness efforts are aimed at curbing these practices and such dependence.

Finally, acknowledging the transnational nature of the problem means looking for transnational solutions. The problem is ours together. The solution, too, must be jointly arrived at and jointly pursued.