FMs of CSTO countries made joint statement on prevention and fight  against use of Internet for terrorist purposes

ArmInfo.The foreign ministers of the CSTO member states issued a joint statement on the prevention and fight against the use of the Internet for terrorist  purposes.

According to the CSTO press service, the joint statement of the  Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,  Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan at the 28th meeting of the OSCE  Ministerial Council, Stockholm, reads in particular:  "We, the  Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, the Republic  of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the  Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan, are deeply  concerned about the terrorist attacks that have taken place in the  OSCE region and beyond; we express our sincere condolences to the  families of the victims, as well as to people and governments, We  express our grave concern about the increasing use of the Internet  for terrorist purposes, including live coverage of terrorist attacks.

We emphasize that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is  one of the most serious threats to international peace and security  and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and have no  justification, regardless of their motivation, whenever and by  whomever they are committed.

We reaffirm our commitment to maintain unity in the international  fight against terrorism, recognizing the central and coordinating  role of the United Nations in this matter. We reiterate that states  have a key role to play in preventing and combating terrorism, in  accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. We reaffirm our  commitment to the full implementation of the UN Global  Counter-Terrorism Strategy, with full respect for human rights,  fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.

The OSCE has accumulated a solid array of political commitments in  the context of the fight against terrorism, in particular those  contained in Ministerial Council Decision No. 3/04 on combating the  use of the Internet for terrorist purposes, Ministerial Council  Decision No. Council of Ministers No. 5/07 on public-private  partnership in the fight against terrorism.

We welcome the UN Security Council document entitled "A Comprehensive  International Framework for Countering the Spread of Terrorist Ideas"  (S / 2017/375), and call on participating States to follow its  guiding principles and best practices.

To increase the effectiveness of the relevant efforts, it is  necessary to: strategies for the prevention and fight against  terrorism, including partnerships of stakeholders at all levels,  including coordination between public authorities, cooperation  between states, international and regional organizations, as well as  the private sector, civil society, scientific circles and the media.

Work must continue to improve advanced counter-terrorism techniques  and tools. In this regard, we recognize the importance of decryption  as an effective tool for law enforcement agencies in countering  terrorism. We note the initiatives of the member states of the  Collective Security Treaty Organization, which can contribute to  efforts in the fight against terrorism and further cooperation  between the member states.

We note with concern that terrorists form ideas based on  misinterpretation of religion to justify violence, which are used to  recruit new supporters and foreign terrorist fighters, mobilize  resources, in particular through the use of information and  communication technologies, including via the Internet and social  networks.

We express our concern about the spread, including through the  Internet, of hate speech and ideas that incite violence and fuel  terrorism. Increased efforts are needed to develop information  literacy, especially among young people, to prevent and counter hate  propaganda and terrorist ideas.

We note that the COVID-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented global  challenge for all OSCE participating States and Partners for  Co-operation and affects overall security in the OSCE region,  including in the context of terrorist threats.

We are convinced that the OSCE executive bodies should continue to  assist the participating States in fulfilling their international  obligations in the field of preventing and combating terrorism.

The CSTO member states support the development of interaction between  the OSCE and the CSTO on issues of mutual interest in order to  strengthen the international antiterrorist front. "