The Russian-led defense alliance is battling the recruitment channels of international terrorist groups
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends a summit of the CSTO Collective Security Council, in Minsk, Belarus, November 23, 2023 © Konstantin Zavrazhin / Pool via Sputnik
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is continuing its operation ‘Mercenary,’ aimed at disrupting the flows of new recruits into international terrorist groups, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.
The president made the remarks on Thursday as he attended the CSTO summit in the Belarusian capital city of Minsk. The organization has been focused on measures to “combat extremism, transnational crime, illegal migration and drug trafficking,” as well as on clamping down on the activities of various extremist groups, Putin noted.
“Cooperation between intelligence services and law enforcement agencies has been consistently strengthening. In particular, the CSTO operation ‘Mercenary’ continues, aimed at clamping down on recruitment and shutting the exit routes for citizens of our countries to participate in the activities of international terrorist groups,” he stated without naming any particular terrorist organizations.
“Our organization remains an essential element in ensuring the security of its member states and the Eurasian region in general,” Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, who hosted the meeting, added.
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The CSTO, formed in the early 2000s, brings together six post-Soviet nations, namely Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. The alliance launched operation ‘Mercenary’ earlier this year, under the chairmanship of Belarus, seeking to tighten security for the member states.
