13 November 2001

U.S.-Russia Joint Statement on Combating Illegal Drug Trafficking

The United States and Russia have agreed to intensify their cooperation in combating illegal narcotics trafficking, both bilaterally and within the framework of international organizations.

"The drug trade is one of the principal sources of financial support for international terrorism," said a joint statement issued by President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin November 13 in conjunction with Putin's visit.

The statement reaffirmed the role of the United Nations in strengthening global anti-drug efforts, the importance of bilateral cooperation, and the intent of the United States and Russia to "continue and expand our regional counter-narcotics cooperation with the countries of Central Asia."

Following is the joint statement as released by the White House:

We note that illegal narcotics trafficking constitutes a serious threat to the health and well-being of individuals and to international security as a whole. The drug trade is one of the principal sources of financial support for international terrorism.

The United States and Russia are committed to intensifying cooperation on both a bilateral level and within the framework of international organizations and institutions, in order to combat this common threat.

We reaffirm the important role of the UN in strengthening anti-drug cooperation at the global level and reaffirm the two countries' intention to continue the efforts to implement the decisions of the 20th Special Session of the UN General Assembly on the problem of narcotics. At the same time, we wish to continue and expand our regional counter-narcotics cooperation with the countries of Central Asia.

We wish to underscore the importance of putting into effect, as soon as possible, the mechanism of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

We intend to intensify the efforts of the Russian-U.S. Working Group on law enforcement, including the issues of combating illegal drug trafficking and the laundering of proceeds derived from criminal activities. We believe that early entry into the force of the Treaty Between the Russian Federation and the United States on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, signed at Moscow on June 17, 1999, will promote the expansion of bilateral cooperation and the coordination of efforts against transnational organized crime and narcotics trafficking.

We agree to seek areas of expanded cooperation between the United States and Russia with the goal of more effectively stopping illegal trafficking in narcotics and preventing and treating drug addiction.