Bulgaria and Russia signed an agreement for co-operation in the fight against drug smuggling.

Interior Minister Roumen Petkov and Viktor Cherkesov, director of Russia's Federal Service for Controlling Drug Circulation signed the document on June 28, Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) reported.

The agreement regulates ways in which Bulgarian and Russian services can exchange information on organised crime groups and money laundering. The document creates new opportunities for common police operations against drug smuggling, BNR said.

Petkov said that the agreement coincided with Bulgaria's foreign policy priorities and added to the country's importance as EU partner. He added that the agreement would improve the stability and security in EU member states as the main drug routes to Europe passed through Russia and the Balkans.

Statistics quoted by Petkov revealed that effective crime fight in Bulgaria over the past few months resulted in a shift in the drug routes. Now the major part of drug traffic passed through northern routes, he added.

The agreement was the first one signed between Bulgaria and Russia's police services since 1998, BNR said. Petkov said he hoped the two countries would soon sign another agreement on co-operation in the organised crime fight.