Russia sees any types of narcotic drugs as a serious threat and wants to help international community to counter them. Despite attempts to de-criminalize recreational and medicinal use of cannabis in some countries, Moscow, according to the country’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov, does not accept this, acting in accordance with a number of international agreements and claiming that drug use is often accompanied by corruption, violence and crime. Russian Foreign Minister addressed drug trafficking and related problems in his speech at the 62nd UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs:
“Attempts to use human rights arguments as cover in this case are unacceptable. We have to follow the three UN conventions, which serve as groundwork for global anti-narcotic system, and these principles should remain immutable”.
Lavrov also said that fighting new synthetic drugs and new means of their distribution, including online payments and drug-related transactions on Dark Web is not an easy task, and it requires international cooperation.
— Denis Bolotsky (@BolotskySputnik) 14 марта 2019 г.
Russia’s authorities say that there is a direct link between drug trafficking and terrorism, especially in countries such as Afghanistan. Moscow is prepared to counter the problem by providing professional training for law enforcement agencies. Together with Japanese colleagues, Russian police officers teach their colleagues from Central Asia, Afghanistan and Pakistan as part of the program established by the UN Office on Drugs and crime.
