India has warned that the "destructive nexus" of drug production and terrorism in Afghanistan posed a threat to stability of South Asia and favoured regional and multilateral cooperation to fight the challenge.
It said Afghanistan, the world's largest opium producer, requires all possible assistance from the international community as the issue is inextricably linked to the security and stability of the country and of the region.
"The destructuve nexus between narcotics cultivation and terrorism confronts the international community once again... The deadly crop is available again to finance terrorism in Afghanistan, with ominous conseqeuences for the country and the whole world," Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed told an international conference in Moscow on Wednesday.
There will be long-term social and economic effects, if the Afghan economy is not shielded from the influence of drug money, he said participating in the conference on 'Drug Routes from Afghanistan'.
"In view of the magnitude and complexity of this problem, no country can fight it on its own. The problem has to be tackled at the supply end, as well as on the demand side. Further, drug routes traverse different countries from sources to destinations," he said.
Observing that Afghanistan cannot risk another round of instability, the minister said the international community must remain involved on a sustained basis in assisting the Afghan government in curtailing and eliminating the menace.