Federal Drug Control Service director proposes building transit gas pipelines in Afghanistan
MOSCOW. April 3 (Interfax) - Russian Federal Drug Control Service Director Viktor Ivanov has suggested creating a development corporation for Afghanistan, conducting industrialization and electrification of the country, and building transit pipelines in Afghanistan.
Economic development is the only way to put an end to heroin production in Afghanistan, Ivanov told a conference in Moscow on Wednesday.
"This industrialization could be operated by a corporation for the development of Afghanistan, which could develop and carry out development projects in Afghanistan. There is a need to speed up the launch of pipeline transit projects," Ivanov said.
Ivanov said Afghanistan needs "industrialization and electrification, when new technologies and infrastructures become the main source and driving force of public wealth."
Industrialization and the fight against drug production in Afghanistan could be organized by an international headquarters, he said.
"If the Afghan administration makes a positive decision, the conceptual and organizational component of such a headquarters could be handled primarily by the region's powers: Russia, Pakistan and Iran," Ivanov said.
"We believe it is expedient to plan a world anti-narcotics summit at the UN General Assembly next year. Decisions made at that summit would be secured by the UN Security Council," Ivanov said.
Ivanov criticized the United States and NATO for insufficient measures to combat drug trafficking in Afghanistan.
In March 2012, Ivanov suggested creating a corporation for the development of Central Asia. In October 2012, he said his initiative "had run into interdepartmental obstacles."
The Federal Drug Control Service is concerned about the flow of heroin from Afghanistan. According to the Federal Drug Control Service, up to 100,000 people die of drug abuse in Russia every year. In June 2012, the Federal Drug Control Service director said, citing the recent study done by the service, that 8.5 million people do drugs in Russia on a regular basis or from time to time. A total of 18.5 million Russian citizens have tried drugs at least once in their life.
