MINSK, 30 June (BelTA) - The foreign ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) have expressed deep concern over the growing threats of terrorism and extremism around the world. This was noted in a joint statement published on the organization’s official website, BelTA has learned.
The statement notes that the CSTO member states “condemn terrorism and extremism in all their forms and manifestations without any reservations, emphasizing that such acts can never be justified, regardless of the motivation, timing, or perpetrators, and that those responsible must be held accountable”.
The CSTO countries expressed concern over the increasing number of terrorist and other extremist acts that pose a threat to society and states. These acts are often driven by radical ideologies, including neo-Nazism, xenophobia, racism, and other forms of intolerance. The statement stresses that terrorism and extremism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization, or ethnic group. It also underlines the inadmissibility of supporting, promoting, justifying, or inciting terrorist and extremist activities in any way.
The CSTO foreign ministers stood up against double standards in the fight against terrorism and extremism and against attempts to use terrorist and extremist groups for selfish geopolitical purposes. The ministers reaffirmed the importance of joint international efforts to combat terrorism and extremism and expressed their “readiness to work together on the basis of equal dialogue and respect for national sovereignty to prevent and fight terrorist acts and eliminate the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism and extremism. These efforts include strengthening cooperation while fully respecting the central and coordinating role of the United Nations, adhering to international legal obligations, including the UN Charter and relevant international conventions and protocols, implementing UN Security Council resolutions, and ensuring a balanced application of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy”.
The ministers also emphasized the significance of enhancing regional and international cooperation to build the institutional capacity of national governments. The ministers called for intensified individual and collective efforts to counter radicalization that leads to terrorism and extremism, particularly when driven by terrorist ideologies and other radical beliefs, including religious intolerance, offense to the feelings of believers, xenophobia, aggressive nationalism, neo-Nazism, and ethnic or racial discrimination, which contribute to the incitement and recruitment of terrorists.
The CSTO foreign ministers expressed their commitment to further strengthening cooperation to combat international terrorist and extremist organizations that pose a direct threat to CSTO countries. They also emphasized the importance of countering attempts at destructive external interference in the internal affairs of member states, aimed at destabilizing the social, political and economic situation, provoking radicalization among the population, and fueling extremist and terrorist activity.
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