MOSCOW, September 30. /TASS/. US-led Western states have been using terrorist groups under their control to attain their goals, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev said on Friday, urging comprehensive efforts on the part of the CIS special services to counter international terrorism.

"The US-led Western coalition has continued using groups of terrorists and other radicals under their control to achieve their goals, while substituting the real fight against terrorism with declarations of their proactive moves in this sphere," Patrushev said, pointing to the US flirting with Al-Qaeda (outlawed in Russia) in Afghanistan and with the Islamic State (outlawed in Russia) in Iraq. Addressing a meeting of CIS security and intelligence chiefs in Moscow, he said: "In these circumstances, practical cooperation should be enhanced between the special services of our countries, including the exchange of information on international terrorist organizations and their plans." He also urged comprehensive and preventive efforts to counteract terrorism.

To Patrushev, terrorism is a major tool in the West’s arsenal of hybrid wars. Meanwhile, he said, terrorist organizations in Iraq and Syria have been significantly weakened.

Commenting on moves to establish a multipolar world order, the Russian Security Council secretary said new centers of power had been evolving across Asia, Africa and Latin America. He noted that they had been seeking to play a more central role in the global agenda while having every reason to demand respect for their choice of development paths.

In this context, Russia "has always been striving to foster equal, mutually advantageous and respectful relations with other countries. And we will follow this course in the future," Patrushev assured.