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Russian-African Anti-Drug Conference gets underway in South Africa

The conference is designed to develop new global anti-drug policy to fight transit of heroin from Afghanistan and cocaine from South America through Africa and counter spread of drugs around the world

PRETORIA, March 9. /TASS/. The second "Russian-African Anti-Drug Dialogue" international conference has opened on Wednesday in Durban, South Africa. It is designed to develop a new global anti-drug policy to be submitted to a special session of the UN General assembly on the global drug problem to be held in April.

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Taking part in the conference, initiated by Chairman of the Russian Anti-Drug Committee, Director of the Federal Drug Control Service Viktor Ivanov, are the heads of the high-level competent authorities of more than 50 African Union member-countries, the press service of the Federal Drug Control Service has told TASS.

The participants will discuss the fight against the transit of heroin from Afghanistan and cocaine from South America through Africa to Europe and steps to counter the avalanche-like spread of narcotic drugs around the world.

It is expected that bilateral agreements on cooperation in countering illegal trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors between Russia’s Federal Drug Control Service and the competent authorities of some African countries will be signed on the sidelines of the forum and that the final declaration will be adopted.

The first "Russian-African Anti-Drug Dialogue" conference was held in Banjul (Gambia) in July 2015.

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