Russia cannot curb drug spread single-handedly

Russia cannot curb the spread of drugs single-handedly, said Leonid Lozbenko, a senior executive of Russia's State Customs Committee. He was taking part in a session of supervisory bodies of the World Customs Organisation, held in Brussels this week.

"Geographically, Russia is located at a crossroads of drug trafficking routes. For that reason, we keep saying again and again that single-handedly no country can resolve the drug problem, particularly a country with such a heavy transit traffic as Russia," Lozbenko stressed.

According to him, this is the reason why Russia has addressed the world's customs community with an appeal for co -operation. An international conference on this problem recently took place in Paris. The conference adopted a decision on pooling international efforts in the war on drugs.

The Russian delegate expressed his sincere gratitude to the world customs community for a prompt response to Moscow's appeal. A special program for cooperation between Russian customs officers and their colleagues from other countries in checking the growing spread of drugs will soon be developed through joint efforts. The World Customs Organisation will oversee the implementation of the program, the senior executive of Russia's Customs Committee said.