MOSCOW, April 26. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that tackling the issue of combating terrorism and efforts to resolve the situation in the Middle East and North Africa require a consolidated and balanced approach.

"The agenda of the current conference (the Moscow Conference on International Security) includes serious issues that require a balanced and consolidated approach," Putin noted in his welcome address to the participants in the conference. "These are, above all, the fight against terrorism as a major threat to the global and regional security and stability along with the issues related to the political and diplomatic settlement of numerous conflicts, primarily, in the Middle East and North Africa."

The Russian president’s address was read out by Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolay Patrushev.

Putin noted that special attention at the conference should also be paid to countering other, no less important challenges.

The head of state emphasized that the conference in Moscow that had become a tradition is known for its busy agenda and authoritative participants representing military agencies, international organizations, scientific and political circles. "I am confident that open and constructive debates at the forum will provide a good opportunity for the participants to exchange experience and information and expand professional contacts," Putin noted. "This direct, fruitful dialogue strengthening partnership is crucial today."

Military intervention unacceptable

Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolay Patrushev has said military intervention in the affairs of the countries that are actively resisting terrorism is unacceptable.

"It is important to make sure that the fight against this threat (terrorism) does not turn into a pretext for exerting pressure on sovereign countries, the way it happens in some regions of the world," he said speaking at the Moscow Conference on International Security on Wednesday. "Moreover, attempts to intervene militarily in the affairs of the countries effectively resisting terrorism are inadmissible."

Patrushev emphasized that terrorism "has no national identity and requires a collective response." He added that new footholds of the Islamic State (IS, terror group, outlawed in Russia) and other international terrorist organizations are being established in various regions of the world. In light of this, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council pointed to the importance to establish effective cooperation between law enforcement agencies, including exchanging information on the movements of foreign militants and planned terror attacks, the forms and methods of their activities and specific suspects. "The Russian Federal Security Service’s databank to counter terrorism provides optimal opportunities for that," he said.

He noted the need for closer coordination within the UN and other international organizations and "efforts to counter attempts to shield terrorists from the sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council."

According to Patrushev, international terrorism is closely intertwined with transnational organized crime, including drug crimes. "It is necessary to go over to developing effective mechanisms to bring them (new psychoactive substances) under national and international control and ensure effective cooperation between countries in countering attempts aimed at undermining the international legal regime in drug control," he said.