MINSK, November 23. /TASS/. Russia and other countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) do not tolerate terrorism in any of its manifestations and in any regions of the world, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the CSTO Collective Security Council.
"Our countries, Russia included, do not tolerate terrorism in any of its manifestations and in any regions of the world," he said.
"We have jointly implemented a set of measures to combat extremism, transnational crime, illegal migration and drug trafficking. The CSTO’s coordination council on biological security has been launched. Its focus is on preventing threats related to the development and use of biological weapons and ensuring radiation, chemical and medical protection," Putin stated, adding that the next meeting of this council was scheduled for December in St. Petersburg.
Putin drew attention to joint efforts to improve the CSTO's collective rapid deployment, aviation and peacekeeping forces. He recalled that a number of measures had been taken to maintain combat readiness, improve the command system and increase the training of military personnel, including exercises Interaction, Search and Echelon in Belarus, as well as peacekeeping exercises Indestructible Brotherhood in Kyrgyzstan. The Russian leader also noted that cooperation by special services and law enforcement agencies had been consistently strengthened. In particular, the CSTO operation Mercenary, aimed at preventing recruitment and blocking the channels citizens of the CSTO member states might use to go to participate in the activities of international terrorist groups, continued.
The Russian leader noted the active work carried out by all CSTO member states during the year to contribute to the strengthening of allied ties within the organization on the principles of support, respect and consideration of each other's interests. The key mission of the association as a regional defense structure responsible for maintaining peace and stability in the vast Eurasian space was promoted in practice.
"Thanks to the productive interaction both via the foreign ministries, defense ministries, security councils and parliaments, we promptly agreed on crucial political and military-strategic issues and acute problems of the regional and international agenda," Putin stressed.
He said it was important that the CSTO's contacts with its partners - the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) - kept developing this year.