Biden Says Bolivia, Venezuela Have Failed To Adhere To Counternarcotics Agreements

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th September, 2021) US President Joe Biden issued a memorandum to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday in which he said that Bolivia and Venezuela have failed to make efforts to comply with international counternarcotics agreements such as the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA).

"I hereby designate Bolivia and Venezuela as having failed demonstrably to make substantial efforts during the previous 12 months to both adhere to their obligations under international counternarcotics agreements and to take the measures required by section 489(a)(1) of the FAA," Biden said.

Washington declared that major drug trafficking or production countries were Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Burma, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.

These countries' designation is not necessarily a reflection of their government's counterdrug efforts, but of geographic, commercial, and economic factors that allow drugs to be transported or produced despite the actions of law enforcement, Biden added.

Biden also said that combating drug addiction is one of his administration's foremost health priorities, and that the US is committed to working with global partners to address the shared challenges of drug trafficking and use.