The Russian government approved a federal bill on Russia's accession to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) at its Thursday session, the government press service said.
The convention was adopted at the WHO's 56th session on May 21, 2003.
It is supposed that Russia should develop a draft national strategy on tobacco control and a national body coordinating this job.
A total of 145 countries and the European Union were signatories to the convention as of April 2007.