SVR Director Calls for Enhanced Intelligence Cooperation Among CIS States Amid Rising Global Threats

ST. PETERSBURG, September 4. /TASS/. Global threats are becoming increasingly acute and widespread; the very complex global situation requires close coordination of efforts among the intelligence agencies of CIS member states, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin said, opening the 22nd meeting of the Conference of Heads of Security Agencies and Intelligence Services of the CIS member states.

"Each of our meetings is an excellent opportunity to assess the results of our joint work, analyze the experience we have gained, and outline specific steps for the near future. The theme of today’s meeting is formulated as follows: 'Issues of Improving Cooperation Among the Special Services of CIS Member States Amid Growing Instability on the International Stage.' This topic is extremely important and timely. The global situation is indeed very challenging," he said, addressing those present.

In this context, the SVR chief noted that the situation in a number of regions is escalating. "The range and scale of global and local threats are expanding. Often, events in crisis zones rapidly unfold according to a negative scenario. The level of escalation is rising and new risks and hotspots of tension are emerging," he emphasized.

"Time is of the essence when it comes to developing effective response measures. Under these circumstances, the importance of information sharing among our agencies increases. As the saying goes, forewarned is forearmed. Accurate intelligence is crucial to reliably ensuring national security in the CIS states and throughout the entire organization," Naryshkin noted.

Delegations from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan participated in the meeting. Russia, as the host country, chaired the meeting.