MINSK, 14 October (BelTA) - Sergei Rachkov, Chairman of the Standing Committee on International Affairs of the House of Representatives, attended a meeting of the High-Level Advisory Group on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva on 13 October, BelTA learned from the press service of the House of Representatives.
The event included expert hearings on emerging threats and trends in counter-terrorism. The participants discussed new strategies and the role of parliaments in preventing terrorism and violent extremism.
In his report, Sergei Rachkov informed his colleagues that Belarus strongly condemns any manifestations of terrorism and violent extremism, regardless of the place of commission and the goals pursued.
“Terrorism and extremism are more often used as a tool to eliminate political rivals, destabilize the internal political situation, incite hostility and discord between different national and religious groups. The suppression of such crimes is an essential element of maintaining international peace and security, which requires joint efforts of the states and an effective system of international cooperation,” Sergei Rachkov said.
Belarus is systematically working on the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, the MP said. “The country has adopted legal, institutional and operational measures to counter terrorism in order to comply with international obligations and allocated significant resources for most of the areas specified in the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001). Belarus is a party to 13 UN international counter-terrorism instruments,” he said.
“It is worth mentioning that Belarus, together with the UN, co-hosted a high-level international conference “Countering Terrorism through Innovative Approaches and the Use of New and Emerging Technologies” in Minsk in September 2019. Its distinctive features were the novelty of the issues under consideration and the unique scope, which allowed the OSCE participating states and ASEAN member states to come together for the first time in such a format to establish further inter-regional cooperation in this area.
“During the conference, the Belarusian head of state came forward with an initiative to form a “digital neighborhood belt” through the conclusion of bilateral and multilateral agreements to ensure international information security,” Sergei Rachkov added.
