RUSSIAN OFFICIAL CALLS FOR JOINT ANTI-DRUG EFFORT IN YEREVAN

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
29 Mar 06

[Presenter over video session and news conference] The coordinating
council of the heads of the anti-drug agencies of the Collective
Security Treaty Organization [CSTO] member states has held a session
in Yerevan.

In reply to Azerbaijan’s accusations, the head of the council and
director of the Russian Federal Drug Control Service [FDCS], Viktor
Cherkesov, said that not a single fact of illegal drug trade has been
registered in Karabakh. Summing up the results of the work of the
coordinating council, Viktor Cherkesov called for joint efforts in the
fight against drug trafficking. The international drug mafia has been
very active and well-organized. Therefore we need to take additional
measures in the fight against it. The heads of the Russian, Armenian,
Belarusian, Kyrgyz, Kazakh and Turkmen police discussed these issues
at the session of the coordinating council.

[Viktor Cherkesov, captioned, in Russian with Armenian voice over]
More than 9,000 crimes have been solved. About 11,000 tonnes of drugs
were confiscated during the channel-2005 joint anti-drugs operation.

Apart from the CIS member states, Iran, Pakistan and Ukraine have
also been involved. The USA and Mongolia have joined us recently.

[Chief of the Armenian Police Lt-Gen Ayk Arutyunyan captioned] The
problem of drug abuse is not that serious in Armenia. There are no
drug addicts among children. We have not registered any increase in
drug dealing in Armenia. The situation is under control. We all have
to stay alert.