MOSCOW. Oct 20 (Interfax-AVN) - The intelligence chiefs of the member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States will consider ways of combating terrorism, drug trafficking and other crimes at a planned meeting on October 20-23, a spokesman for the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Monday.
The meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services (Russian acronym: SORB), to be held in Yerevan, will involve "an exchange of opinions on the organizational and legal aspects of joint anti-terrorist measures on the territory of CIS member states and interaction between partner special services in defending participants in criminal proceedings," the spokesman told Interfax.
One of the meeting's objectives is to evolve further measures to prevent the Internet from being used for terrorist and other illegal ends, to boost exchange of information on new methods and channels of illicit drug transportation, and to work out more effective ways of fighting drug trafficking.
The meeting will also discuss a draft protocol to make changes and additions to the 1993 Agreement on the Mutual Defense of Interstate Secrets, the spokesman said. The draft protocol has been prepared by the CIS Anti-Terrorist Center.
The SORB's commission on scientific and technological cooperation and commission on the prevention of international drug trafficking will hold sessions during the council's meeting.
The German, Spanish, Italian and French intelligence services have been invited to send observers to the session, the spokesman said.