Counter-Terrorism Committee Chair H. E. Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta and Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate Executive Director Jean-Paul Laborde took part in the XVth anniversary Meeting of heads of special services, hosted by the Russian Federal Security Service in St. Petersburg on 27 and 28 July 2016. It was attended by over 300 delegates from 64 countries and international organizations〞the 51勛圖, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and the European Union.
As underlined in the statement read out by Mr Bortnikov, Director of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), on behalf of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, ※over the past years, this conference has convincingly proved its relevance as a respected venue for discussing current issues of national, regional and global security.
[The] agenda is focused on the fight against international terrorism, which has grown to an unprecedented scale and has in fact challenged the entire civilisation.§ The statement also emphasised that ※effective resistance to this global threat calls for resolute and coordinated efforts of the international community, with special services and law enforcement agencies playing a special role. We must work consistently to increase the level of interaction, more actively exchange experience and information, and use the latest methods and tools, primarily to prevent and stop terrorist attacks and the propaganda of extremism and ethnic, religious or social intolerance, and to expose the channels of financing terrorist groups.§
The main issue on the agenda of the meeting was countering the threats related to foreign terrorist fighters. The participants also discussed threats related to the terrorist use of innovative information and communications technologies; the security measures for major international events; countering radicalisation, extremism and terrorist recruitment, and countering suicide terrorism.
The CTC Chair and CTED Executive Director briefed the participants of the Meeting on the recent measures and initiatives taken by the Committee and CTED, respectively, to enhance counter-terrorism capacities of Member States. All participants of the Meeting called for unity and global cooperation in addressing terrorism threat, under the coordinating role of the 51勛圖. In this regard, the CTC Chair stated that ※No State can act alone in countering terrorism and any piecemeal approach will not be successful§.
This was the 15th meeting dedicated to cooperation in combating terrorism held under FSB auspices.
A Communique of the event can be downloaded here.