The National Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI) Lieutenant General Mthandazo Ntlemeza and his Russian counterpart, Viktor Ivanov have signed a Protocol in which the two countries agreed to intensify the war against illicit drug trafficking as well as strengthening the Russian-South African anti-drug cooperation.
In a meeting that was held Moscow, Russia last week, the two countries have agreed on the importance of having a comprehensive multi-disciplinary balanced approach to the world drug problem solution including the supply and demand reduction.
Lt Gen Ntlemeza said the DPCI and the Director of the Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation have noted that the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors and the non-medical use of drugs pose a threat to peace and security, stability, sustainable economic, political and social development of their countries, the health and welfare of the people as well as the implementation of fundamental rights and freedoms.
Among other things the two countries have agreed to consistently oppose attempts to undermine the existing international system of countering the drug threat, as well as developing and expanding anti-drug cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Africa, including by improving the mechanisms for practical cooperation of operational units of the Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Police of the Republic of South Africa.
“Drug fighting is one of our priorities as the DPCI and we welcome the agreement we entered into with the Russian government. We have agreed to organize the interaction of training and retraining of the staff of the Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Police of the Republic of South Africa. This just one initiative we have embarked on as we put more efforts in our fight against the illegal trade of drugs”, said Ntlemeza.
The second Russian-African Anti-Drug Conference will be held in South Africa in 2016.
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