Russia and the United States plan to develop their cooperation in the fight against the drug threat from Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday.
According to official statistics, there are 30,000-40,000 drug-related deaths in Russia every year. A major portion of the drugs in the country comes from Afghanistan. Worldwide, more than 100,000 people died from Afghan heroin in 2009 according to UN estimates.
"A working group led by heads of relevant departments in Russia and the United States has been created. Their agenda focuses on the task of fighting the Afghan drug threat," Lavrov told journalists after talks with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Russia's drug control chief Viktor Ivanov said Tuesday in Kabul that Russia would boost its drug control mission staff in Afghanistan as "the drug situation in Russia is rather difficult, and needs fast decisions, both in Russia and within the framework of international cooperation."
Ivanov, the head of the Federal Drug Control Service, was speaking at a Russian Embassy meeting with top drug officials from a number of countries, as well as UN and NATO-led International Security Assistance Force representatives.
Citing official figures for Afghan drug trafficking, Ivanov said that "such mass drug production has long outgrown the scope of one country and has given rise to global drug trafficking."
Afghan drug production increased dramatically after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban in 2001, and Russia has been one of the most affected countries, with heroin consumption rising steeply.
Russia's envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, described "heroin aggression" as "the main threat to Russia," and last month Moscow urged NATO to prioritize the fight against drug trafficking in Afghanistan.
MOSCOW, March 18 (RIA Novosti)
