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 A senior Azeri official blamed Washington for the spread of drug addiction in the world, and said the economy of the US is dependent on drug-trafficking by a number of American statesmen, “Fars” news agency writes.

"We should admit that drugs are considered a source to secure the United States' economy," Head of the Anti-Drug Department of Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry General Hazi Aslanov said in the second anti-drug police meeting of the Caspian Sea littoral states in Iran.

Aslanov expressed concern over the growing trend of drug addiction and trafficking in the world, and said, "We cannot wait for the international organizations to fight against drugs."

He also referred to the increased production and trafficking of drugs in Afghanistan, and called for the establishment of a joint center for the regional countries to exchange information in campaign against drugs.

Earlier, Commander of the anti-narcotic squad of Iran's Law Enforcement Police General Hamid Reza Hossein-Abadi had also warned about the growing trend of drug-trafficking in the region, and called on the Caspian Sea littoral states to act coordinately in their war on narcotics.

The five Caspian Sea littoral states' counter-narcotics bodies started a meeting in Iran's Northern port city of Bandar Anzali on Friday to explore ways to boost cooperation against illicit drugs.

The 'Caspian Anti-Drug Five', which incorporates the counter-narcotics departments of Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, is expected to discuss inter-state law enforcement at the meeting.

The five drug enforcing states seek to further coordinate their agencies' efforts in a bid to eliminate international drug trafficking channels and to have better anti-drug policy sharing.

The first such meeting was held in Russia's Caspian shore city of Astrakhan in 2009.