BRUSSELS. April 3 (Interfax) - NATO's decision to suspend all practical cooperation with Russia is counter-productive, Moscow's envoy to the alliance, Alexander Grushko, told reporters in Brussels on Wednesday.
"We [Russia], as a member of the international community, bear a special responsibility for maintaining peace and stability worldwide, and we are prepared to continue cooperation with all of our partners concerning the whole range of global problems. We are particularly troubled by the situation in Afghanistan, which is understandable because the situation in this country is deteriorating, and the tasks set to NATO and the International Security Assistance Force have not been accomplished," he said.
"The Afghans themselves will primarily suffer as a result of this decision made by NATO," Grushko said.
Two major projects were under way as part of the Russia-NATO Council, Grushko said.
First and foremost, the sides were implementing a program to train personnel for the drug control services of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asian countries, he said.
"All in all, we have trained approximately 3,000 people. Furthermore this project, which was pursued by the international community as part of the fight against the drug threat coming from Afghanistan was not just a Russia-NATO project. It involved other international organizations, and an enormous amount of work has been accomplished," the Russian envoy said.
"No one will be able to hide on any islands of security from this threat. It is possible to deal with it only through joint efforts. The situation continues to deteriorate largely due to NATO's lack of action in Afghanistan itself, where illicit drugs production grew by 40% in 2013 year-on-year. We view the fight against the drug threat as a task facing the entire international community that was set, among other documents, by resolutions of the UN Security Council," Grushko said.
In any case, Russia will continue to help Afghanistan train personnel for its drug control agencies in a bilateral format and in cooperation with Afghan government and its partners who will agree to contribute to these efforts, he said.
The second project implemented by the Russia-NATO Council is deliveries of helicopters to Afghanistan, Grushko said.
This program will play a key role in maintaining stability in Afghanistan after 2014, when the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) leaves the country, he said.
Soviet- and Russian-made Mil Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters form the backbone of the Afghan Air Force, and the Afghan Armed Forces, should they lose their Air Force component, they will become incompetent and unable to maintain security in the country following the ISAF's withdrawal, the Russian high-ranking diplomat said.
"The next group of Afghan ground support technicians are currently being trained at a training center in Novosibirsk to maintain these helicopters. We are convinced that this project remains relevant," Grushko said.
When asked what would happen to the $4 billion that Russia intended to contribute to the "helicopter package" trust fund, Grushko said that "if this trust fund ceases to exist, we will certainly decide against transferring this money there, but will use it more effectively."