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Russian top brass urges military community to join forces to fight terrorism

Shoigu emphasized that terrorists from all over the world flocked to those specific spots where there was 'regime change' looming

KUBINKA /Moscow region/, August 22. /TASS/. The military community should unite to fight international terrorism, Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting with Niger’s Minister of National Defense Kalla Moutari on the sidelines of the Army-2017 International Military-Technical Forum being held in the Moscow region.

"I believe it is very important to exchange experience concerning the fight against terrorism," the Russian defense minister said. "The face of terrorism has changed recently - today, terrorist units are well-trained, they are not just separate armed groups, so they pose a serious global threat," he added.

Shoigu stressed that terrorists from all over the world flocked to the areas where there was a chance of changing a regime, but they pursued vested interests. "We have been reiterating that the militants who are currently fighting in Syria, Afghanistan and Libya will sooner or later go back to their countries of residence. Unfortunately, the consequences of this process have already started to emerge. So we will continue to call on the military community to unite in the fight against terrorism," the Russian defense minister concluded.

Niger’s minister of national defense, in turn, welcomed the idea saying that his country was also facing the terrorist threat as its neighboring states - Libya, Mali and Nigeria - were striving to ensure their security, fighting against militants.

Following the meeting with the Russian defense minister, Moutari told reporters that Niger very much valued cooperation with Moscow and Russia’s steps against international terrorism.