Azernews.Az

Baku hosted the 31st meeting of the CIS Council of Chiefs of Security and Special Intelligence Services on Thursday.

The delegations of security and special intelligence services of CIS countries, as well as CIS Anti-Terrorism Center attended the meeting, the Azerbaijani National Security Ministry said.

Under the decision of the Council members, with the view of strengthening partnership in ensuring international security, officials of relevant agencies of Germany, Italy and France attended the meeting as observers.

Making a keynote speech at the meeting, Azerbaijani National Security Minister, Lieutenant-General Eldar Mahmudov expressed his confidence that discussing the issues on preventing threats against security, including terrorism, extremism and transnational organized crimes at the Council meeting will contribute to strengthening the regional and international security.

CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev said the member countries had made great progress over the past 20 years, CIS heads of states attached special importance to improving the partnership relations that meet national interests of every country.

The meeting was continued under the chairmanship of Director of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), chairman of the CIS Council of Chiefs of Security and Special Intelligence Services, General Alexander Bortnikov. Improvement of struggle against terrorism and extremism, prospects of cooperation in inquest and initial investigation into the crimes within the competence of security and special intelligence services were discussed during the meeting.

The participants also discussed ways of improvement of cooperation and exchange of information in combating transnational organized crimes, drug trafficking, illegal migration, cyber crimes.

The commission for scientific-technical cooperation and commission for combating drug trafficking under the Council of Chiefs of Security and Special Intelligence Services held meetings on the level of experts. Relevant decisions were signed, action plan of the Council for next year confirmed, list of activities of CIS Anti-Terrorism Center for 2012 agreed at the end of the meeting.

The next meeting of the CIS Council will be held in Moldova in 2012.