The International community has so far failed to find a real alternative to the booming drug-based economy of Afghanistan and the drug threat coming from that country. Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin announced this addressing a UN plenary session in New York.
Afghanistan is becoming a headache for the entire international community. In fact, the scale of the growing drug threat coming from Afghanistan, according to experts, can be compared with the threat posed by international terrorism. This is explained by the fact that the proceeds from drug sales are echoed in bombings in dozens of countries. At present, Afghanistan is the world’s largest producer and supplier of opium, marijuana and heroin. According to UN reports, its share in the total amount of drugs received by various countries exceeds 90 percent. Notably, the production of narcotics in Afghanistan has grown four or five times since the international coalition forces were deployed in the country.
Drug trafficking poses a serious threat to any country. But for Russia the situation is aggravated by the fact that drugs are basically transported to Europe, the Middle East and other regions through the Russian territory. Consequently, Russia is making strenuous efforts to counter drug trafficking from Afghanistan and has concluded two agreements with the Afghan government to this end. Russia trains personnel for Afghanistan’s anti-drug police. The financial intelligence agencies of the two countries have established strong ties and cooperate actively. An operation code-named Kanal has been consistently carried out to intercept drug trafficking under the aegis of the Collective Security Treaty Organization with the assistance of Afghanistan. Vitaly Churkin stated this during his address.
However, the reality shows that all measures taken by the international community are insufficient to solve the issue. On Friday, speaking at an international conference Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Afghanistan had been on the brink of turning into a drug-based state. This means there is a need to take large-scale and more effective measures to fight against the spread of drugs from Afghanistan. At the same time, Sergei Lavrov noted the need for excluding any form of rivalry. He emphasized Russia was keen on cooperating in this area with the European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and NATO. Most importantly, the international community must coordinate its efforts to stabilize the political situation in Afghanistan and end the civil war in the country.
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