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Russia concerned at drug production in Afghanistan

14 January 2014 19:17 (UTC +04:00)

"This issue is of special significance for Russia because of the ongoing negative developments in Afghanistan and the changes coming in 2014," FSKN Director Viktor Ivanov said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters in Moscow, Ivanov warned that the area used for cultivation of opium poppy in Afghanistan has reached a record high of 209,000 hectares in 2013.“The areas continue to grow,” he said, adding that this area is almost equal to coca cultivation in Colombia.

Drug abuse annually claims up to 100,000 lives in Russia, according to the Russian Federal Drug Control Service.

Earlier in January, Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Andrey Avetisyan blamed the international community for not doing enough to turn the tide of the alarming trend.

In September 2013, Iran’s deputy ambassador to the UN called on relevant international bodies to firmly counter drugs production and trafficking in Afghanistan.

Narcotics trade flourished in Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban, who earned part of their funding through the lucrative drug business.

The United Nations reports however indicate that narcotics production and drug smuggling have increased in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.