Afghan drugs: global threat needs global response

The Third Ministerial Conference of the Paris Pact Partners on combating the Afghan illicit opiate trade is now under way in Vienna, and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is taking part.

At present, Russia is one of the largest, so to say, “importers” of Afghan drugs. About 500 tons of opiates come to Russia from Afghanistan every year. For comparison: the total amount of Afghan opiates, which come to all countries of the European Union every year, makes 700 tons.

It has been estimated that in total, drug dealers all over the world “earn” at least $ 800 bln every year.

In 2003, a conference of ministers of several countries, which discussed ways of fighting against Afghan drugs, took place in Paris. The conference received the name of the Paris Pact.

In 2006, the second conference of the Paris Pact was held, this time on Russia’s initiative.

By now, the majority of the world’s countries have already officially acknowledged that the drug torrent from Afghanistan is today one of the largest threats to stability in the world.

However, the situation is only becoming even more terrible with every year. In 2011, Afghanistan produced nearly 6,000 tons of opiates, which is 40% more than in 2010.

In his speech at the Vienna conference, Mr. Lavrov said: “I believe that destroying opium poppy fields in Afghanistan is currently one of the main tasks for the world. This should be done jointly by many states, in close cooperation with the Afghan government.”

“For some reason, some Western countries fight only against those who smuggle drugs from Afghanistan, without any attempts to destroy poppy fields in that country. I believe, this is like treating symptoms of a disease without treating the disease itself.”

“In Columbia, for example, the government fights not only against those who smuggle drugs but against those who grow plants, from which drugs are produced, as well,” the Russian foreign minister continued. “In Afghanistan, we must act in a similar way.”

To produce narcotics from poppy, one needs certain chemical substances called precursors. There is information that 90% of precursors used by Afghan drug producers come from chemical enterprises in Europe.

“This torrent must also be stopped,” Sergey Lavrov says.

“The Paris Pact, together with Europe’s businesspeople – first of all, representatives of chemical industry, - must find a way to stop the “leakage” of European precursors into Afghanistan. This way must be effective and not bring any losses to Europe’s economy. Russia suggests that experts of the Paris Pact should work out a program of international cooperation, both of governments and of private businesses, for stopping the illegal leakage of precursors. And, we believe, this program should be supervised by the UN.”

At present, the Paris Pact unites about 60 countries and about 20 international organizations. After all, a global threat needs a global response. Russia also believes that in fighting against the drugs, the UN should unite with the Shanghai Organization, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (a military alliance of CIS countries), EvrAsES (an economic alliance of CIS countries) and other international organizations.

“I believe that the Collective Security Treaty Organization may become a good partner for NATO in fighting against the drug threat,” Mr. Lavrov says. “Russia has been suggesting this to NATO within many years already, but NATO, for some reason, hasn’t given a clearly-worded answer yet. It looks like NATO wants to cooperate with CIS countries only when it is beneficial for it – like, for example, in delivering military cargos fist to, and, now, from Afghanistan”.

However, it looks like most participants of the Vienna conference share Mr. Lavrov’s view that the closer the international anti-drug cooperation is, the better. Let’s wait and see what the conference’s final declaration will say.