Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev met in Moscow with Afghan Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Daoud, who oversees anti-drug efforts in his country.
"At the meeting, issues of cooperation against illegal drug trafficking were discussed, as well as financial and technical aid to the Afghan police force, and staff training for Afghani law-enforcement agencies," the ministry said in a statement.
As part of bilateral anti-drug cooperation, three Afghan drug policemen have undergone training at the Russian Interior Ministry. Under the agreement, 36 Afghan policemen will be trained in Russia this year.
Since the Taliban regime was overthrown in the 2001 U.S.-led campaign, opium poppy production in Afghanistan has steadily risen, now taking up most of the country's arable land, and accounting for 93% of the world's illegal opiate production.
On March 16 the governments of Russia and Afghanistan signed a bilateral anti-drug agreement.
