VIENNA, February 16 (Itar-Tass) — Russia suggests organizing a special online digital map of drug plantations in Afghanistan for their extermination, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the 3rd ministerial conference of the Paris Pact on Thursday.
“Russia jointly with its partners and in close contact with the United Nations Organisation will continue undertaking efforts to prevent illegal turnover of opiates and their precursors,” he said. “We are open for cooperation in this sphere with all of the interested states.”
The minister gives priority importance to the economic development of the regions affected by the drug problem, so that to remove a major part of the citizens from the orbit of drug businesses by offering new jobs.
Lavrov stressed the importance of lowering drug usage.
“We share the view that the platform of the Paris Pact maybe and should be used for cooperation in the interest of offering a scientifically based strategy to prevent and treat drug addiction,” he said.
“The mentioned priorities have been reflected in the draft of the final document and should favour development of the Paris-Moscow process, and its detailed contents,” the foreign minister said. “Other promising projects supervised by the Paris Pact may be in line with this task. They are the establishment of an online digital map of Afghanistan’s drug plantations for their further extermination: use of space systems including GLONASS for fighting illegal turnover of drugs and their precursors; improvement of the border and customs control at borders of the Paris Pact partners, including use of advanced technologies.”
In order to achieve the set targets, Moscow believes it is necessary to continue institutionalizing the work of the Paris Pact.
“We could discuss organisation of permanent working groups on precursors and financial flows,” Lavrov said.