In fight against drug trafficking Russia cannot rely on NATO - drug control chief

MOSCOW, March 25 (Itar-Tass) - Head of Russia’s Federal Drug Control Service has expressed confidence that in the global fight against drug trafficking Russia can rely only on BRICS nations and states neighbouring drug producing regions, but not on NATO. “We can resolve this global problem only through joint efforts of a bigger number of industrialised countries,” Viktor Ivanov told a meeting of the expert community in the run-up to a ministerial meeting of heads of anti-drug agencies. “Of course, I speak of G8 member-states, but as experience proves we need to really rely, first of all, on BRICS nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - and countries neighbouring drug producing regions free of obligations and secret decisions of NATO’s military and political bureau.” He recalled that for fourteen years since the launch of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan over one million people in Eurasia, a half of them are Russian citizens, died of Afghan heroin. Intensive transit of drugs from Afghanistan estimated at $80 billion a year contributed to a growth of paramilitary drug trafficking groups, a surge of violence and involvement of several millions of residents of the region into this process, Ivanov said, adding that in general, this deformed the political landscape of countries of Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Middle East. Russia cannot rely on NATO in fight against drug trafficking — drug control service chief