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Russia calls on foreign partners to create united front to fight terrorism — diplomat

The only way to conquer terrorism is not only to ensure its military defeat but also to prevent the spread of terrorist ideology and to effectively cut off material support to terrorists

MOSCOW, May 31 /TASS/. Russia calls on all foreign partners to create a genuinely global coalition to fight terrorism, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov told the OSCE-wide Counter-Terrorism Conference in Berlin on May 31, 2016.

"We still hope that given the political will on the part of the States concerned, the fight against a growing common threat of terrorism could guide our efforts to overcome problems and crises in other areas of international relations," Syromolotov said in a statement the text of which has been published at the Russian Foreign Ministry website.

"Russia calls upon all its foreign partners to create a genuinely global coalition, a united front to combat international terrorism with the United Nations playing a key coordinating role, on the basis of the norms and principles of international law, including the principles of equality and sovereignty of States and non-interference in their internal affairs," the Russian deputy foreign minister said.

"International cooperation in combating the current leaders of the ‘terrorist international’, namely Daesh and Al-Qaeda, offers some hope in this regard," Syromolotov went on to say.

"However, we are well aware that the only way to conquer terrorism is not only to ensure its military defeat, which, indeed, is a must under current circumstances, but also to prevent the spread of terrorist ideology and to effectively cut off material support to terrorists which, unfortunately, is still being provided from the territories of certain States in violation of binding international decisions of the UN Security Council," the Russian deputy foreign minister said.

According to him, Russia’s experience in counteracting extremism enables it to see the flaws in some principles of emerging international cooperation in a new era of countering extremism.

"First, such cooperation can only be based on international law, the UN Charter and ideally on existing counter-terrorism instruments, in particular on the relevant provisions of the UN Global Counter·Terrorism Strategy, UN Security Council resolutions and universal counter-terrorism conventions and protocols," the Russian diplomat said in his statement.

"Second, we are convinced that it is the States that should play a leading role in the fight against violent extremism and, consequently, in any international cooperation in this area," Syromolotov stressed.