Head of Russian Federal Drug Control Service suggests taking Afghanistan into SCO
ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Afghanistan should be taken into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to help the country fight drug production, Viktor Ivanov, head of the Federal Drug Control Service of Russia, suggested on Tuesday, RIA Novosti reported.
"I consider it expedient on behalf of the ministers to apply to the heads of the SCO member states with the initiative to accept Afghanistan as a full member of the SCO due to the importance of its closer integration in the economic processes of the SCO for alternative development and elimination of drug production," said V. Ivanov at the meeting of heads of the SCO anti-drug agencies
According to the head of Federal Drug Control Service of Russia, the SCO member states "are objectively interested, firstly, in ensuring regional security, and, secondly, in acquiring the role of a sustainable and sovereign state by Afghanistan."
Meanwhile, as it was previously reported, during the operation of the Western Allies the production of drugs in Afghanistan has risen by 40 times. Afghanistan is an undisputed world leader in the production of heroin and other opiates.
Today the SCO includes Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. As well as Mongolia, India, Iran and Pakistan, Afghanistan has the status of an observer. In September 2014 Pakistan and India formally applied for the membership in the SCO; Iran also claims to full membership in the organization. Sri Lanka and Armenia have also submitted the request to obtain the status of observers. The status of a "dialogue partner" of the SCO is obtained by Belarus, Sri Lanka and Turkey.