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EU suspends drug traffic data sharing with Russia, says diplomat

According to Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov, the annual OSCE-wide Anti-Drug Conference has been postponed indefinitely

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov Valery Sharifulin/TASS

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov

© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

MOSCOW, May 26. /TASS/. The EU has suspended contacts and data sharing with Russia as part of the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction, a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official said.

"The European Union has unilaterally suspended expert contacts and data sharing with us" as part of the EMCDDA, Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov said in an interview with TASS. "The annual OSCE-wide Anti-Drug Conference has been postponed indefinitely," he added.

It looks like NATO member-countries after a hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan are trying to shrug off responsibility for the problems they have nurtured over the 20 years of their presence in the country, shifting it to other countries, the diplomat said.

"We believe this is a destructive approach. It plays into the hands of drug traffickers, who are taking advantage of the disagreements among countries to increase illicit drug supplies to Europe," he said.

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