Maksim Peshkov, Russia\'s ambassador to Tajikistan, told a news conference in Yekaterinburg on 8 July that he opposes the introduction of visas for Tajik travelers to Russia, reported the next day. He said, \"Visas won\'t help at all. People will continue to smuggle drugs.\" Noting that the introduction of visas would harm Russian relations with Tajikistan and other countries, Peshkov said that the root of the drug problem lies in Afghanistan,not Tajikistan. According to Peshkov, 15 percent of Afghanistan\'s burgeoning heroin production makes its way to Tajikistan, with the bulk of the narcotics continuing on to Russia. Evgenii Roizman, the State Duma deputy for Yekaterinburg, has called on numerous occasions for the introduction of visa regulations between Tajikistan and Russia in order to stem the flow of illegal drugs. (Asia Plus-Blitz)