On 21 September 2016, the Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), Mr. Jean-Paul Laborde, and the Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Mr. Nikolai Bordyuzha, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Establishing a strategic framework of cooperation between the two entities, this agreement provides, in particular, for enhanced information exchange on counter-terrorism and refers to the CSTO as a potential implementing partner for technical assistance recommended by the Counter-Terrorism Committee to CSTO Member States.
The Secretary General took the opportunity to brief the Executive Director about the latest trends with regard to the terrorist threat in CSTO Member States, as well as in terms of tools developed by CSTO to address these trends, including for example a unified CSTO list of terrorist and extremist organizations, a harmonized counter-terrorism legislative framework, and special training exercises for military and special forces. Mr. Bordyuzha noted that the flow of foreign terrorist fighters originating in CSTO Member States has been on the decrease and while some of those fighters are returning from conflict zones, adequate monitoring and detecting procedures are in place in order to have the phenomenon under control.
Mr Laborde expressed his willingness to rely on CSTO expertise in the region, especially with regards to supporting the counter-terrorism capacities of Member States in Central Asia, including those related to border security.