Putin says it is necessary to closely monitor situation at CIS external borders

BURABAI SETTLEMENT (Kazakhstan), October 16. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said it is necessary to closely monitor the situation near the CIS external borders and be prepared to counter terrorists’ plans to penetrate into Central Asia. He was speaking at a meeting of the Council of CIS Heads of State on Friday. "It is necessary to ensure the effective work of the CIS Anti-Terrorism Center, to continue to coordinate the work of intelligence agencies and exchange information. It is particularly important to closely monitor the situation at the external borders of the Commonwealth," Putin said. According to the Russian president, the CIS countries must be prepared to jointly resist terrorists’ attempts to penetrate into the Central Asian region. He described the situation in Afghanistan as close to critical. "Terrorists of all stripes are gaining more and more influence and do not hide plans of further expansion. One of their objectives is to penetrate into the Central Asian region," the Russian leader said. "It is important for us to be prepared to respond jointly to such a scenario," Putin said, pointing to the concept of military cooperation of the CIS countries until 2020, which has been prepared for the summit. According to the Russian president, the new program of cooperation in strengthening border security for the period between 2016 and 2020 will also help put up a reliable barrier at CIS external borders. "It envisages the possibility of forming a grouping of border guard and other agencies of Commonwealth member-countries to resolve crisis situations at the border. I am sure that these documents will significantly increase the impact of joint efforts to combat transnational crime and drug trafficking," Putin said. Another important area of CIS cooperation is "coordination in the area of foreign policy," the Russian leader noted. "We presume that all CIS member-countries recognize the central role of the United Nations in solving international problems and promoting security in the world," Putin said. Read more