DUSHANBE, 21.05.2019. (NIAT Khovar) – The 46th meeting of the Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services of the CIS Member States was held today in Dushanbe, reports Khovar’s correspondent.

The Chairman of the State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan Saimumin Yatimov in his welcoming speech noted the Council’s worthy contribution to the strengthening of security and stability of the CIS Member States.

The meeting focused on the implementation of the cooperation of special services in fight against terrorism and organized crime.

The Director of the Russian Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov, who is the Chairman of the Council, emphasized the results of the interaction of the CIS special services, which, according to him, “allowed to identify eight terrorist cells and to detain more than hundred of their participants during the year”.

“Thus, in cooperation with Azerbaijani, Tajikistani, Kyrgyzstani and Uzbekistani partners, the activities of eight cells of the ISIL (Islamic State terrorist organization banned in Tajikistan and Russia) and other international terrorist organizations were identified and suppressed,” reported Bortnikov.

It was noted that, jointly with the Belarusian National Security Committee, the recruitment activities of ISIL emissaries on the Internet were stopped. The National Security Committee of Kazakhstan handed over to partner special services four citizens of Uzbekistan, eleven citizens of Tajikistan and three citizens of Kyrgyzstan, who were detained on suspicion of involvement in terrorism and religious extremism. Also, the Russian Federal Security Service and colleagues from Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan seized a large amount of narcotic drugs from illicit trafficking.

“One of the key areas of cooperation of the CIS special services is the constant exchange of operational data. The information obtained is supplemented by an international counter-terrorism data bank, a specialized data bank of the CIS Anti-Terrorist Center and other collective information systems,” noted Bortnikov.

It was also stressed that the evolving situation “requires continuous improvement of joint actions in the antiterrorist direction with an emphasis on proactive measures”.

The meeting participants reached an agreement to take additional measures, to intensify the international search for criminals involved in terrorism and extremism, as well as to strengthen the cooperation of special services in the field of search operations and measures to prevent the movement of terrorists in the territory of the CIS.

They also discussed strengthening cooperation in field of combating and preventing the spread of extremist ideology, including the elimination of sources of dissemination of such ideas through the internet.

Participants shared their views on this topic and assessed Tajikistan’s role in the fight against extremism and organized crime.

The conference, which was held in the capital, led to the full resolution of the issues on the agenda.

In this context, the report of the head of the CIS Anti-Terrorism Center on the results of the programs of the CIS member states on combating terrorism and extremism for 2017-2019, as well as the results of the center’s activities in 2018 was heard by the participants.

The  importance of exchange of experience between the CIS member states was likewise noted.

The main focus of the closed part of the meeting was devoted to intensify cooperation while checking migration channels as a way to introduce terrorist fighters into the CIS countries. Additionally, the work of the Coordination Council and the Technical Committee of the joint data bank of the CIS security agencies and special services on combating organized crime began.

At the end, relevant documents of the Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services of the CIS Member States were also adopted.

It should be noted today, the Founder of Peace and National Unity, Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon received the heads of delegations of the 46th session of the Council of Heads of CIS Security and Intelligence Services.

“Emerging international terrorism and extremism threats on the commonwealth’s southern border with Afghanistan, which encompasses a lengthy territory, is growth, and to prevent this phenomenon in this border area, constant cohesion, collaboration, mutual assistance and support of the CIS States plays a great role. Tajikistan is an outpost on the line of war against terrorism and transnational organized crime and is constantly taking practical measures to prevent such devastating threats not only to its security and stability, but also to that of other states in the region,” President Emomali Rahmon noted.