MOSCOW. Nov 2 (Interfax-AVN) - The upcoming Russia-NATO summit in Lisbon could address the possibility of establishing direct relations between NATO and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Russia's NATO envoy Dmitry Rogozin said in televised remarks on Tuesday.
"We have been combating Afghan drug trafficking, but this fight would be more effective if we had direct relations with NATO. I think that this issue will be discussed in Lisbon as well," Rogozin said.
Last week, Russia and NATO carried out a joint operation to destroy drug-making laboratories located on Afghan territory, he said.
"The second step in Russia-NATO cooperation in countering drug trafficking from Afghanistan should become the establishment of relations between NATO and the CSTO because the Collective Security Treaty Organization includes Russia and its allies, countries that act as transit routes for smuggling drugs into Europe," the official said.
Russia wants NATO's forces deployed in Afghanistan to "tackle problems from which neighboring countries suffer," he said.