Russian Army chief in Malaysia, discussing anti-terrorism cooperation

MOSCOW, December 9. /TASS/. Russian Ground Forces Commander-in-Chief Colonel-General Oleg Salyukov discussed the fight against terrorism and the development of international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, the Russian Defense Ministry’s press office said on Wednesday. The Russian Army chief took part in the 2nd meeting of the defense ministers from South and Southeast Asia. "The participants in the meeting, which was held in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) on December 6-9, exchanged their views on the issues of countering extremism and also on the prospective areas of developing military cooperation of South and Southeast Asian countries," a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry said. The Russian Army chief noted special responsibility of the defense ministries from the region for maintaining regional and global security, and also outlined "Russia’s approaches to strengthening military cooperation in the interests of ensuring peace and stability in Asia," the spokesman said. "During his speech, Colonel-General Oleg Salyukov outlined possible ways of developing the Russian Defense Ministry’s interaction with the defense ministries from the region for the purpose of raising efficiency in the struggle against terrorism," the spokesman said. Salyukov held bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the forum with the chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Indian Armed Forces, the commander of the Malaysian ground forces, and also with the heads of delegations from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Laos and Vietnam. The participants in the bilateral meetings also discussed the state and the prospects of military cooperation. The regional security consultative mechanism was created on the initiative of the Sri Lankan defense ministry in the interests of promoting peace and stability in South and Southeast Asian countries. The forum was attended by the member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the Association of South East Asian Nations, and also by Russia, the United States and China. Read more