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Russia to take part in OSCE counterterrorism conference

The conference will focus on 'preventing and countering violent extremism and radicalization leading to terrorism'

MOSCOW, May 17. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov and member of Russia’s State Duma (lower house of parliament), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative Nikolay Kovalyov will take part in the OSCE counterterrorism conference in Vienna on May 23-24.

The event will focus on "preventing and countering violent extremism and radicalization leading to terrorism," Kovalyov told reporters on Wednesday. He noted that he had been invited to the forum as the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s anti-terrorism envoy. "We are to present a project on how Russian state agencies cooperate with public figures in the war on terror," the lawmaker said.

Taking part in the conference will also be current OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Sebastian Kurz, OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier, European Commissioner for the Security Union Julian King, representatives of the UN, EU, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and numerous experts. They are expected to exchange views on national experiences and international cooperation in combating terrorism. The participants in the forum will also discuss the role of religious communities in preventing the spread of terrorism, fighting the ideology of terrorism and its propaganda, the role of women in countering extremism, young people’s involvement in these efforts and counteraction to prisoner radicalization.

Kovalyov earlier proposed the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to draft and adopt a Counterterrorism Code, to set up a section of the international court of the assembly member-countries for trial and conviction of individuals involved in terrorist activities and establish an international penitentiary system of the assembly’s member-countries for individuals sentenced by the international court.