VII. Make up sentences in English with the phrases from the previous task.

VIII. Insert the articles if necessary.

Since its creation in 1986, on … initiative of … French delegation, the Airports Group has met annually with … threefold objective: to define practical forms of … cooperation among … international airports, to assess … organisation of … control services and … working methods used in … major European airports and to encourage personal contacts between those in charge of … control services.

About 100 participants from 34 countries participate annually in … meeting of … Co-operation Group of Drug Control Services at European Airports.

IX. Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions.

The meeting opens … an annual review … drug seizures made … European Airports, drawn … … the Regional Intelligence Liaison Office … the World Customs Organization (WCO/RILO). Based … the seizure reports submitted regularly … the European member States … their Customs Enforcement Network, the review notes seizures … all categories of drugs … airports. This confidential report is a source … strategic information … policy-makers.

Highlight … the meeting which took place … Budapest on 7 and 8 June 2005 was the presentation … the new version … the Passenger Control Handbook … the Spanish delegation, which includes an analysis of technical devices … drug detection at airports.

X. Explain the italicized grammar constructions in the following sentences.

1. The Airports Group has met annually with an objective to define practical forms of cooperation among international airports.

2. The meeting opens with an annual review of drug seizures made in European Airports, drawn up by the Regional Intelligence Liaison Office of the World Customs Organization (WCO/RILO).

3. Based on the seizure reports submitted regularly by the European member States to their Customs Enforcement Network, the review notes seizures of all categories of drugs at airports.

4. Highlight of the meeting which took place in Budapest on 7 and 8 June 2005 was the presentation of the new version of the Passenger Control Handbook by the Spanish delegation.

5. Participants also discussed issues related to general aviation.

XI. Agree or disagree with the following statements. Give your reasons.

a) Annual meetings of the Cooperation Group of Drug Control Services at European Airports are necessary for working out a unified strategy of combating drug-related crime.

b) Customs Services of different countries should function independently from each other in the struggle against different categories of customs violations.

9.2.2. Combating Illicit Drug Trafficking via “The Great Silk Route”

Read the text to fulfil the tasks

Ten years ago, when restoration of the Great Silk Road was started, the country-participants were eager to create a short route connecting Asia and Europe. However, the transport corridor has increased not only favorable trade and economic relations between countries, but also the work of customs and law enforcement officials due to the rise in illegal drug trafficking.

In January 2007, the International Conference on Combating Illicit Drug Trafficking via the “Great Silk Route” brought together representatives of 14 countries, the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the European Commission.

“Currently, there are people who wish to use the Great Silk Route with the malicious intention of abusing the economic integrity between countries, and try to increase illicit drug trafficking by way of it,” stated the Head of the Department on Work with Law-enforcement Bodies of the Presidential Administration, Fuad Aleskerov. The Azeri government, recognizing the eradication of illegal drug smuggling as a national goal, expressed its support of the efforts of the international community in this direction. The Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), Michel Danet, admitted that narcotics’ trafficking was a problem in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. “Uncontrolled territories could be viewed as an open market and everything could be happening there,” he said and noted that the WCO was not able to resolve the occupation, because it was responsible only for customs issues. At the same time, Danet stated that the WCO would be willing to help Azerbaijan with controlling the drug traffic. Guliyev said that controlling the Azeri-Iranian border would prove to be a complicated undertaking for the law-enforcement bodies of Azerbaijan. He stated that 60 percent of drugs seized by Azeri customs came from Iran and that they had uncovered one case of drugs coming from Turkmenistan.

Head of the State Frontier Service Elchin Guliyev informed reporters that Azeri frontier guards had taken steps to organize an adequate counteraction to international terrorism, illegal migration and narcotic traffic. He noted that the largest consignment of narcotics they caught had weighed six kilograms and was intended for transit across the Azeri-Iranian border. The State Frontier Service caught the shipment in the course of special operations in Yardimli province.

M. Danet also stated that Afghanistan constitutes a threat to the world as one of the main places of drug production and distribution. He said that there are two main routes for drug traffic from Asia to Europe. One of them lies from Afghanistan through Kazakhstan and Russia to the Balkan countries and into West Europe, and the other- from Afghanistan and Iran through the Balkans into Europe. Both directions are complicated to control, because 6,500 km-long Kazakhstan-Russian border passes over mountains, and the Iran-Afghanistan border passes through a desert.

Participants at the conference signed the Baku Declaration and expressed a willingness to strengthen interstate cooperation in the struggle against illicit drug traffic. Danet suggested that a program be drawn up specifying the next joint actions in this direction. He emphasized the importance of finding new tools in the anti-drug fight, because of the growing illegal turnover of drugs.

Text –study

1. Learn the following words.

Illicit – незаконный;

malicious – злобный, предумышленный;

eradication – искоренение, уничтожение;

conversion – превращение, переработка;

to admit – признавать;

undertaking – обязательство, соглашение; предприятие, дело;

counteraction – противодействие;

consignment – партия груза;

to constitute – представлять;

to strengthen – укреплять;

turnover – оборот.

2. Answer the following questions.

1. What problems did the restored Great Silk Route present for customs and Law enforcement officials?

2. In what way do some people try to use the Great Silk Route?

3. What conditions for drug traffickers have been created in Azerbaijan?

4. From which countries do the drugs mostly come to Azerbaijan?

5. What steps in drug combating have been taken by the Azerbaijan State Frontier Service?

6. What is the main source of drug distribution in the Asian Region?

7. Why are the main directions of drug traffic from Asia to Europe complicated to control?

8. What document was signed by the participants of the Conference?

3. Match the given Russian word-combinations on the left with the English word-combinations on the right.

   1) благоприятные торговые и экономические отношения;	a) illegal drug trafficking;
   2) незаконная торговля наркотиками;	b) uncontrollable territory;
   3) экономическая целостность;	c) law-enforcement bodies;
   4) неконтролируемая территория;	d) favourable trade and economic relations;
   5) правоохранительные органы;	e) economic integrity;
   6) организовать противодействие;	f) drug distribution;
   7) распространение наркотиков.	g) to organize counteraction.

4. Find in the text the words that correspond to the following definitions.

   1. the act or process of returning something to its earlier condition or position;

   2. getting rid of something, or complete destroying of something;

   3. the act of changing the substance into the substance of a different kind;

   4. to make decision firmly or with determination, to solve or end some problem;

   5. difficult to deal with or to understand;

   6. reducing or removing the effect of something by producing an opposite effect;

   7. a batch of goods sent together.

5. Give the English equivalents of the following words and expressions.

a) совместные усилия;

b) рост незаконной наркоторговли;

3. объединять;

4. предумышленное намерение;

5. условия для производства наркотиков;

6. таможенные вопросы;

7. незаконная миграция;

8. партия наркотиков;

9. представлять угрозу;

10. укреплять сотрудничество между странами.

6. Match the verbs with the nouns. Give the translation of the phrases you’ve got.

1) to create;	a) representatives;
2) to bring together;	b) drugs;
3) to express;	c) the shipment;
4) to seize;	d) a route;
5) to catch;	e) a threat;
6) to organize;	f) support;
7) to constitute.	g) counteraction.