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NATO, CSTO can help successful fight against drug trafficking – Foreign Ministry

Afghan farmers extracting raw opium to be processed into heroine (archive) EPA/S. SABAWOON

Afghan farmers extracting raw opium to be processed into heroine (archive)

© EPA/S. SABAWOON

MOSCOW, February 19. /ITAR-TASS/. Joint efforts by NATO and the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organisation) would facilitate the successful fight against drug trafficking in Afghanistan, Russian presidential special envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov told Itar-Tass on Wednesday.

“I can’t say we’d eliminate 100%: if we reduce drug trafficking by 10%-15%, this will be a big victory of the international community,” said Kabulov, who is also director of the Russian Foreign Ministry 2nd Asia Department.

“It’s well-known that when the International Security Assistance Force was deployed in Afghanistan drugs production increased by tens of times. The USA has less effect from Afghan heroin while the situation of Europeans is more sensible. But they did nothing in Afghanistan to really fight drug trafficking,” the diplomat said.

The Western countries do not want to cooperate with the CSTO in this field for ideological reasons. “It’s very stupid. It is clear that no CSTO country is going to deploy troops in Afghanistan. The CSTO is working to intercept drug trafficking,” Kabulov said.

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