The CSTO Secretary General called for the creation of tools to counter terrorism

The CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov said in an interview with RIA Novosti that the cynical terrorist attack on “Crocus City Hall” was a clear "false flag operation", and such terrorist attacks challenged the CSTO member states to develop tools to counter this threat. It is already clear that terrorism is used as a tool of hybrid warfare aimed at creating inter-ethnic and inter-religious rifts in society, and the international fight against it is complicated by the fact that a number of international actors use terrorism for their geopolitical interests.

— Imangali Nurgaliyevich, on 22 March, a tragedy took place in “Crocus City Hall” near Moscow, claiming the lives of a large number of people. What is your assessment of these events?

— The CSTO Secretariat deplored this cynical attack and strongly condemned the actions of the terrorists. There is no justification for this kind of crime. I express my condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to the injured. It is important how quickly the special services worked, and the criminals were apprehended in the first hours after the terrorist attack. We are yet to learn details that will clarify the situation as a whole and are likely to become an additional argument for strengthening the security system in this part, above all the anti-terrorist component.

— What has been the reaction of the member states of the organization?

   — Firstly, the Belarusian special services actively assisted the Russian ones in preventing the terrorists who had attacked “Crocus City Hall” from travelling abroad. Secondly, the heads of all CSTO member states expressed their condolences to the Russian people in connection with the terrorist attack. President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kasym-Jomart Tokayev and President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko were among the first to call Vladimir Putin. Thus, the CSTO countries showed solidarity in condemning this inhuman crime. In addition, the factor of common threats to the member states of the organization, the collective fight against which is the basis of allied relations, worked. Thus, after the terrorist attack, Vladimir Putin and Emomali Rakhmon had a detailed conversation about the prospects for the joint fight against terrorism.

— Experts point out that the format of the terrorist attack is not quite ordinary. What makes it different, in your opinion?

— Yes, the analysts of the organization came to almost the same conclusion. Along with the scale of the terrorist attack, the brutality and the short time span during which the crime was committed, it should be noted that the perpetrators made no demands, no one took responsibility for a long time, and when it happened, it looked at least unconvincing. Obviously, this is not just a "false flag operation", the situation is much more complicated and therefore no less tragic. On the contrary, the lack of understanding of the motives and the sharp actualization of the factor of inter-ethnic relations is bringing additional tension in society. Of course, later the results of the investigation will be presented, and we will be able to judge the scale of the threat. Indeed, terrorism is acquiring new features and is used as a tool of hybrid warfare, when it provokes the growth of discontent with the actions of the authorities, civil division, inter-ethnic and inter-religious discord. Increasingly, this format of terrorist acts resembles sabotage. This poses a challenge to all CSTO member states to develop effective tools to counter this threat.

— It is well known that terrorism cannot be defeated alone. Is this confirmed by the organization’s experience?

— Yes, of course. Unfortunately, crises that are classified as terrorist attacks periodically occur in the CSTO area of responsibility - in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. In 2012, there was a series of terrorist attacks in Belarus. Just on 24 March there was an attack on a police station in Yerevan, which the Armenian authorities classify as a terrorist attack. Of course, all these events are being discussed in various bilateral and multilateral formats, including in the CSTO, where there is a working group on terrorism and extremism under the Committee of Secretaries of the CSTO Security Councils. Terrorism is perceived as a common threat to the members of the organization, so coordination here is carried out on an ongoing basis.

— Imangali Nurgaliyevich, is there any hope that countering terrorism at the international level will become more effective in the future?

— In general, improving the effectiveness of counter-terrorism policies is a long-standing problem in international relations. Modern states, unfortunately, are still unable to reach a common position on the rejection of such methods of political and ideological struggle. Thus, there is still no universally recognized definition of terrorism, which makes it difficult to coordinate the actions of national states in combating this phenomenon. The reasons are obvious - a number of international actors use terrorism to realize their geopolitical interests. However, with the emergence of a polycentric world, it seems that additional opportunities will arise to develop an international consensus within the framework of the anti-terrorist agenda. For decades, there have been structures within the framework of various regional organizations that deal with these very issues and coordinate the efforts of states to combat a common evil. Let us hope that these efforts will lead to a renewal of the international counter-terrorism agenda and make policies in this area more effective.

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