Zakharova calls for a broad global front against terrorism

On September 4, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced Moscow’s intention to consider approaches to continue unifying international efforts to counter the international terrorist threat and to form a broad global front against terrorism based on the principles of international law which is enshrined in the UN Charter.

During her a weekly briefing, Zakharova said: “ The work of the Security Council under the presidency of the Russian Federation this month will be conducted in an intensive manner, given the start of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in particular and the holding of general political discussions within it,”

She added that the main event of the Russian Presidency of the Council will be an open ministerial meeting of the Security Council on 25 September on United Nations cooperation with regional and subregional organizations in the maintenance of peace and security under the title / contribution of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in combating Terrorist Threats.

She said that the focus would be on the practical efforts of those meetings in combating terrorism and related phenomena in Eurasian space, including the issues of drug, arms, trafficking  and cultural property trade, and a particular focus would be on the situation in Afghanistan in the context of threats emanating from the territory of that country.

Zakharova said that international terrorism attempts by ISIS, Al-Qaeda and associated groups to establish a network of “sleeper cells” in a wide area of Eurasian countries, especially in Central Asia, requires countries and organizations in the region to intensify cooperation and improve mechanisms of interaction between law enforcement and judicial bodies as well as armed forces.

She stressed that the concerted efforts of the regional groupings are needed more than ever against the return and movement of foreign terrorists from Syria who spread their ideology and seek to establish new strongholds for them.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the need to continue to fight terrorism in Syria and other countries, calling for the formation of a broad international front to confront terrorism with deeds and not just words.

Reported by O. al-Mohammad