Referring to expert opinion of officials from the United Nation's Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) who believe that Russian frontier guards play the key role in preventing drug-trafficking through Central Asia, Mr. Kozhokhin predicts the increase of narcotics transit from Afghanistan through Central Asian republics in case if Russian frontier guards withdraw from Tajikistan.
In addition, he thinks, "financial gains from the sale of narcotics will erode the nature of the political regime in Tajikistan. It is obvious that the problem of drug-trafficking from Afghanistan affects not only the security in the Central Asian region and Russia, but also the entire security system in Europe."
It is well known that after the downfall of the Taliban regime, the production of narcotics in Afghanistan has increased significantly, and Central Asia has become the main conduit of drug-trafficking from Afghanistan, the expert stresses.
RISS director believes, "the United States bears the major responsibility for the increase of narcotics production under Karzai's regime. At the same time, Mr. Kozhokhin points out that Russia and other countries are willing to cooperate with the United States in the struggle against drug-trafficking. However, Washington has to take concrete steps toward such cooperation.
"When we hear that the responsibility for drug control in Afghanistan lies on the British, we can only show our bewilderment. Despite the powerful potential possessed by that country, it cannot possibly tackle the drug problem in Afghanistan alone. The success in this struggle can be achieved only by mutual efforts and the United States must take the bulk of responsibility and efforts upon its shoulders," the Russian expert is convinced.
In his opinion, "it is advisable to return to the issues of changing the format of the presence of Russian frontier guards in the region and the involvement of other CIS Collective Security Treaty member-countries in administration of control over the borders with Afghanistan. However, in no way we must come from the assumption that Tajikistan will be able to stop the transit of narcotics from Afghanistan on its own."
Meanwhile, the procedures for the transfer of responsibility over the Pamir stretch of the Afghan-Tajik border from Russian frontier guards to the Committee on Border Control under the Tajik government are already under way.
