Rustam Minnikhanov: We are interested in making use of international practices in the fight against organized crime, terrorism, drug business, illegal migration

On June 19, issues related the fight against global drug threat and international cooperation in counteracting the use of illegal migration by international criminal groups are being discussed at the V International meeting high-ranking officials responsible for security matters.

To the point, such meetings under the auspices of the Security Council of Russia are held regularly. The latest one took place in Vladivostok in July 2013. By and large, 60 delegations representing different countries, as well as relevant international organizations of the UN system took part in the event. Participants of the meetings discuss topical international and regional security issues, such as cooperation in the fight against terrorism, extremism, organized crime, money laundering, issues of transport, energy, information security and many others.

High-ranking representatives responsible for security matters from 111 countries, as well as the UN secretariat were invited to take part in the fifth international meeting. The officials from 61 states and the UN accepted the invitation.

Secretary of the Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations – Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Yuri Fedotov, Presidential Envoy in Volga Federal District Mikhail Babich, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, Chairman of Tatarstan State Council Farid Mukhametshin took part in today’s meeting.

Welcoming participants of the meeting, Nikolai Patrushev and Yuri Fedotov, read out a welcoming message from Russian President Vladimir Putin and Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon.

Speaking about the urgency of ensuring security in the region, Rustam Minnikhanov pointed out a number of priority areas. He stressed that the crime situation in Tatarstan remains stable and the crime rate is lower that the country’s average.

“At the same time, we feel the impact of transnational crime, spread of new types of synthetic narcotics and penetration of extremist ideologies into the republic. The growth of illegal migration adversely affects the situation,” Tatarstan President said.

“Some manifestations of religious extremism have taken place in our region,” he reminded. Rustam Minnikhanov stressed that the problems he talked about are transnational and a part of the international crime.

“The well-coordinated work and joint fighting strategy are extremely needed under these conditions. We are very interested in making use of international practices in the fight against organised crime, terrorism, drug business, illegal migration, as well as human and arms trafficking. In recent years, the regional law enforcement authorities have efficiently cooperated with foreign partners. We gratefully accept particular advice aimed to improve our work and we adopt the best practices,” Rustam Minnikhanov said.

Tatarstan President also thanked Nikolai Patrushev for choosing Kazan as the venue to hold the V international meeting of high-ranking officials responsible for security matters. "It is a great honor and responsibility for us," he said, in particular.

Rustam Minnikhanov briefly told about the socio-economic situation in Tatarstan as one of the Russian regions. He noted that the republic is among ten regions that are leaders on key economic indicators. Speaking about international cooperation, Tatarstan President said that more than 140 countries are now foreign economic partners of Tatarstan.