'Say No to Drugs' held with support of Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles

Baku. 10 February. REPORT.AZ/ The State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan and the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles, in partnership with D.A.R.E. – the most prominent drug prevention organization in the U.S. - held on Feb. 6, 2015 a well-attended event titled “Say No to Drugs” in San Francisco.

Report informs referring to the information given by the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles, the event featured an art exhibition of cartoons, sculptures and paintings created by Azerbaijani and foreign artists reflecting the negative impacts of drug abuse on humanity.

A delegation of the State Customs Committee visited the United States to attend the event.

Titled “Azerbaijani-American Evening of Art, Music and Goodwill”, the event was attended by elected officials, including members of city councils of different Bay Area cities, representatives of the City of San Francisco, consuls general and honorary consuls of various countries, representatives of diverse drug prevention organizations based in San Francisco and members of the local Azerbaijani community.

During the first part of the event, the attendees were treated to some of the best samples of Azerbaijani music performed by outstanding musicians from Azerbaijan. Opera soloists Samir Jafarov and Afag Abbasova as well as popular singer Ayaz Gasimov, accompanied by renowned composer Vugar Jamalzadeh, mesmerized the audience with their spectacular performance of Azerbaijani classical and folk music.

Then the event continued with the exhibition “Say No to Drugs” prepared by the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan. Speaking at the opening of the exhibition, Consul General Nasimi Aghayev highlighted the tireless efforts by the State Customs Committee, both in Azerbaijan and internationally, to fight against drugs, and stressed the importance, in this regard, of educating the public, especially the younger generation about the negative repercussions of the drug abuse.

Taking the floor afterwards, the representative of Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee, customs service major-general Gambay Aliyev spoke about the efforts of Azerbaijani customs officials in the fight against drug trafficking. Noting that the drug abuse is a universal problem Mr Aliyev stressed the importance of uniting all international efforts in fighting this calamity. He also informed the audience about the exhibitions held by the State Customs Committee on “Say No to Drugs” in different countries over the last few years.

Then the floor was given to some distinguished guests, including Mr Frank Pegueros, President of D.A.R.E.; Commander Robert Moser, Chief of Investigations of the San Francisco Police Department; and Mr Doug Kelly, Vice-Mayor of the Town of San Anselmo.

The speakers stressed the importance of holding this kind of events in educating the public, especially the younger people, about the impact of drug abuse on individual, family and society. They also commended Azerbaijan’s consistent domestic and international efforts in the fight against drugs and in drug education.