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CSTO countries to sign deal on joint fight against criminal threats

The CSTO interior ministers discussed the CSTO’s personnel problems and how to strengthen inter-departmental and international interaction

MOSCOW, May 26 /TASS/. The Russian Interior Ministry has suggested that CSTO countries prepare and sign an agreement on joint counteraction to new criminal challenges, including terrorism and extremism, a source at the Russian Interior Ministry press service told TASS.

Russian Deputy Interior Minister Igor Zubov took part in a session of the heads of Interior Ministries of the CSTO member states held in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, on Thursday. It was chaired by Nikolai Bordyuzha, the secretary-general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

"During the session, the Russian Interior Ministry suggested that the CSTO countries prepare and sign an agreement on joint interaction against new criminal challenges, which threaten the CSTO states’ collective security. The challenges include terrorism, international crime, drug-related crimes, trade in humans, mass riots and other actions, which infringe on security and law and order," Zubov said.

The CSTO interior ministers also discussed the CSTO’s personnel problems and how to strengthen inter-departmental and international interaction; additional measures to counteract international terrorism and extremism and expand cooperation in fighting crime.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. The total strength of the combined special task forces is about 3,000 servicemen.