MOSCOW, September 17. /ITAR-TASS/. Failure of America's “democracy export” policy in the Middle East and African countries has increased the activity of terrorist groups in the region, a senior Russian parliamentarian said on Wednesday.

“This policy has caused the flight of people at large in the Islamic world from the secular form of state and evoked a steady distaste for secular states,” Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the State Duma parliamentary international affairs committee and the Russian president's special envoy for African countries, told committee colleagues.

Norms of American democracy "forcibly spread and unacceptable to Muslims" were regarded by the population of the Middle East, North Africa, Sahel and Central Asia "as nasty attributes of any secular regime,” he said.

Free elections in these regions had resulted in radical forces gaining the upper hand "with dangerous regularity,” the deputy added.

It was worrying that in conditions of a growing terror threat “the United States and NATO with amazing ease are suspending co-operation with Russia in the fight against terrorism,” he said. “Under these circumstances, the threat is certainly increasing.