Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov thanked Iran for its cooperation in the campaign against illicit drugs and drug-trafficking, Fars News Agency reported.
Addressing a press conference with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi on Wednesday, he hailed Iran's measures in countering drug transit from Afghanistan.
He also described the talks with Salehi as 'constructive' and said that bilateral ties and regional developments were discussed during the meeting.
According to the UNODC, these days, 93 percent of the world's opium is produced in Iran's neighboring country Afghanistan, 60 percent of which is destined for the EU and specially the US markets, and the main transit route is Iran, where the country's dedicated police squad risk their lives to make the most discoveries of drug cargoes, disband drug-trafficking gangs and organizations and much more in a bid to rescue not only the Iranian youth but also all those living in Europe and the US.
Iran has always complained about the EU and other international bodies' lack of serious cooperation with Iran in the campaign against drug trafficking from Afghanistan.
Iran spends billions of dollars and has lost thousands of its police troops in the war against traffickers. Owing to its rigid efforts, Iran makes 85 percent of the world's total opium seizures and has turned into the leading country in drug campaign.
According to official estimates, Iran's battle against drugs cost the country around $1 billion annually. Strategies pursued by Tehran include digging canals, building barriers and installing barbed wire to seal the country's borders, specially in the East.