DUSHANBE. October 15, 2022 /NIAT «Khovar»/. Russia and Central Asian countries will counter terrorism, extremism, illegal migration and drug trafficking, the leaders of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan said in a joint statement following a Central Asia — Russia summit.

«Based on our primary responsibility to ensure security, we will continue to promote six-party cooperation and information exchange in order to counter terrorism, extremism, illegal migration, illicit drug production and trafficking. This coordinated effort will take into account the activities of regional and international organizations, aimed at strengthening peace and security,» the statement reads.

«Given the complicated military and political situation in the world, growing risks, overall tensions and the potential for conflict, we call for dialogue and efforts to form a more stable international security architecture based on equality and respect for the interests and concerns of all parties,» the document added.

«We call for coordinated work to address threats in the field of international information security, which may exacerbate friction in the global media space. We acknowledge the importance of stepping up efforts on the national, bilateral and multilateral levels, particularly in the fight against the use of information and communication technologies for criminal purposes,» the parties pointed out.

The Central Asia — Russia summit took place in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana on Friday. It was the first such meeting of its kind, marking the 30th anniversary of Russia’s diplomatic relations with the five Central Asian nations.