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PRESS RELEASE
On 11 March, the head of the Russian delegation to the 69th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) [the principal UN policy-making body on drug control matters], Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation D.E. Lubinsky [Dmitry Lubinsky], participated in a thematic event organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) [a Eurasian intergovernmental security and economic organization], dedicated to the tenth anniversary of cooperation between the two organizations.
The SCO's work in countering drug trafficking is one of the priority areas under the Anti-Drug Policy Strategy of the Russian Federation through 2030. The comprehensive modernization of SCO activities to neutralize the narcotics threat remains one of the most important avenues for developing law enforcement cooperation. On 1 September 2025, in Tianjin, the Agreement among SCO member states on the establishment of an SCO Anti-Drug Center in Dushanbe was signed, and the SCO Heads of State Council adopted a statement on effectively addressing and combating the global drug problem. In August 2025, the anti-drug operation "Pautina" [Spider's Web] was conducted, with the International Coordination Headquarters based in Ürümqi, People's Republic of China.
As part of the Organization's consistent commitment to building synergies between its specialized efforts and those of other leading organizations in the region, a Road Map for the Development of Cooperation among the Three Organizations for 2026–2028 — including an anti-drug component — was signed on 3 September 2025 in Beijing by the Secretaries-General of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) [a Russian-led military alliance of post-Soviet states], and the SCO.
Significant attention within the SCO is devoted to developing an early warning system for new synthetic drugs. For several years now, the "Aipsin" [a Russian-language acronym for a drug substances and seizures tracking system] software platform for illicit substances and their seizures has been operating successfully within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) [a regional economic integration organization comprising Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia].
The Russian Federation intends to continue contributing to the strengthening of security and stability across Eurasia, to preserving the existing international legal framework for drug control, and to advancing the goal of a drug-free world — rather than a world that is merely tolerant of drugs.
These priorities were reflected in the remarks delivered by Deputy Minister Lubinsky at the UNODC-SCO anniversary event.