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. "