MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti) - Recently, Moscow hosted an annual meeting of FSB (Federal Security Service) director Nikolai Patrushev with representatives of foreign security, law-enforcement and border/coast guard services accredited in Russia.
After the meeting, Patrushev told Rossiiskaya Gazeta about the activities of Russian security services.
The traditional annual meeting at the FSB Cultural Center was attended by heads of the CIA and FBI missions, Canadian, Israeli, British, Spanish and other security services.
"The FSB has a strong record of cooperation with 104 security and law-enforcement services in 67 countries, including 42 border guard services of 35 countries.
"There is significant interest in cooperation on counterterrorism, illegal immigration, and smuggling, including of radioactive substances, weapons and drug trafficking, which is often used to finance terrorism.
"Our collaboration in these areas is becoming increasingly intensive. Our partners are also interested in organizing expert consultations between antiterrorist forces, primarily between negotiators. I am positive that there is great potential in this sphere. We have reached agreements with many partners to share best bomb-disposal practices. I would like to mention such important spheres of cooperation as supplies of state-of-the-art equipment and personnel training.
"The majority of external threats for both Russia and its foreign partners are of international and even global nature. Activities of international terrorist organizations, criminal groups or smugglers usually extend far beyond national borders.
"As to terrorism, its leaders use different countries for asylum or to set up training camps. Using suicide bombers to carry out attacks is an international practice that Russia had to face relatively recently.
"International terrorists use non-governmental organizations and funds to render financial and other support to their contacts in other states. Only consolidated efforts can lead to information about their financial flows and solve other difficult tasks.
"We send our representatives abroad. Today they work in 31 countries - all of the CIS member states and in 20 other countries. I would like to point out that they are not there to perform any covert operations. Moreover, we organize joint sessions with the Belarussian KGB and bilateral meetings with our colleagues from such CIS countries as Armenia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Ukraine.
"Comprehensive cooperation is developing within the CIS: we have set up the council of CIS heads of security services, which functions successfully. Its main achievement has been improving mutual trust between security services. This year the council will meet in Dushanbe for the 20th time.
"Russia has taken over the Presidency in the Group of Eight this year, and the FSB intends to play an active part in developing contacts with our G8 colleagues to fight terrorism and other crimes.
"Today we can already say that international meetings between heads of security and law-enforcement services on counterterrorism are developing into a permanent structure. Security services from other countries, including Muslim ones, which previously did not participate in its work, are now showing interest in the forum. Incidentally, the next meeting will be held in Kazan this year, and it will be attended by heads of security services of some Muslim states.
"I hope that interaction in the information technologies sphere will also improve. The FSB has a good working relationship with French, German, American and Chinese security services. Another important sphere of cooperation is illegal immigration and smuggling, including of radioactive substances, weapons and drug trafficking.
"In order to ensure economic security and fight economic crime, we intend to continue supervising large joint projects with our foreign partners. For example, we will participate in the North European Gas Pipeline project. Our common task is to protect it from criminals and unscrupulous rivals, thus contributing to its prompt completion. In this connection, I would like to point out that the FSB intends to draw the attention of its partners to the issue of ensuring security of international energy transportation routes and infrastructure. We believe that today not enough attention is paid to the problem, although many countries have suffered terrorist attacks on their oil and gas pipelines and other energy transportation facilities.
"In compliance with a number of international agreements, we train personnel from the CIS and other countries: up to 1,000 people from 11 countries each year. Recently, security services from many non-CIS countries have also shown interest in training their personnel.
"There must be no double standards in counterterrorism; otherwise our efforts become less efficient. Granting asylum and support to terrorists, their allies and sponsors is in fact justification and encouragement of their crime. Such moves undermine unity and confidence of the antiterrorist coalition. In this connection, I can mention several regrettable facts: Britain is still providing asylum to Akhmed Zakayev, who has been accused of serious crimes; the United States is protecting another Chechen separatist, Ilyas Akhmadov, who carried out extremist and terrorist activities in Russia disguised as a freedom fighter. Khozh-Akhmet Nukhayev and Movladi Udugov, who are also hiding abroad, have not been extradited to Russia either."
