CSTO to set up Center for Counter-Narcotics Operations

MOSCOW. June 29. KAZINFORM Moscow will host a session of the Coordinating Council of Heads of Competent Authorities on Combating Drug Trafficking of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will be held in on 2 July, BelTA learnt from CSTO spokesman Vladimir Zainetdinov.

One of the central items on the agenda of the session will be the establishment of the CSTO Center for Counter-Narcotics Operations. The officials are set to discuss a draft CSTO Counter-Narcotics Strategy for 2013-2017 and review the performance of the Coordinating Council of Heads of Competent Authorities on Combating Drug Trafficking in 2012-2013. In addition, the meeting will examine the organization of the special exercise "Grom 2013" by the special forces of the of the Rapid Response Forces scheduled for August-September 2013 in Kyrgyzstan and the anti-drug international regional operation "Kanal".

The session will be chaired by Director of the Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation Viktor Ivanov. Attending the session will be delegations of the competent authorities from the CSTO member countries and CSTO Deputy Secretary General Gennady Nevyglas, BelTA reports.