BREST, 9 July (BelTA) – Belarus and Russia should step up interaction and build up the potential of special services, BelTA learned from Director of the Russian Federation Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergei Naryshkin in Brest on 9 July.
A regular session of the joint board of Belarus' KGB and Russia's SVR took place in Brest on 9 July. The sides discussed results and prospects of interaction of the special services in securing national interests of the two countries. The sides mentioned the importance of consolidating efforts aimed at building up Moscow's and Minsk's potential for counteracting global challenges to the security of the Union State of Belarus and Russia. The priority areas mentioned during the session included counteraction of international terrorism, religious and political extremism, and the growing influence of radical organizations.
Sergei Naryshkin said: “As they take care of such delicate matters as intelligence gathering, our special services tightly and vigorously cooperate in a number of areas. Primarily fight against international terrorism. We share operational, analytical, and signal data concerning plans and intentions of individual terrorist groups, the detection of channels used to finance terrorism. We've spent some time discussing the problem of the attempt of Western countries and their special services to rather aggressively interfere with internal affairs of our countries. Such attempts are absolutely unacceptable for us. This is why in order to protect the sovereignty and democratic freedoms of our states and citizens, we build special defense. Results of joint efforts are very good. Yet we understand that we have to step up interaction and build up the potential of special services.”
Chairman of the State Security Committee (KGB) of Belarus Valery Vakulchik and SVR Director Sergei Naryshkin visited the Brest Hero Fortress Memorial where they laid flowers at the Eternal Fire and went on a tour of the Brest Fortress Defense Museum. According to Sergei Naryshkin, every person, who wants to know the truth about World War Two, should visit the Brest Fortress memorial. He described attempts to pervert history as immoral. “We cannot allow them to prosper and we absolutely disagree with them. I advise everyone to visit the Brest fortress first and foremost where the truth is self-evident. Preserving the historic truth about reasons, progress, and results of the Great Patriotic War and World War Two is our duty and part of the national memory. The city of Brest, the Brest Fortress represent a symbol of valor, resilience, and adherence to the military duty for the nations of Belarus and Russia. It is a sacred place where our grandfathers and great grandfathers defended our freedom and sovereignty,” Sergei Naryshkin stressed.
