‘Pak terror hotbeds not in interest of Russia & allies’

During his brief meeting on the sidelines of Russian PM's reception in Davos,Vladimir Putin had conveyed to his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani Moscow's concern at the terror outfits active on Pakistani soil and their role in Mumbai terror strikes against neighbouring India.

Describing the “terrorist hotbeds” in Pakistan and Afghanistan as against the interests of Russia and its allies,President Dmitry Medvedev asked the country’s security service to work with international partners to prevent and neutralise threats emanating from this region.

“The existence of terrorist hotbeds in such states like Afghanistan and Pakistan most substantially encroach on our interests and interests of our allies,” Medvedev,who was the first world leader to visit India after the terror attacks in Mumbai,told the top brass of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).

The Kremlin press service has released Medvedev’s speech at the annual meeting of the FSB – one of the successor agencies of the Soviet KGB.

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“We must jointly,with international anti-terrorism units and international anti-terror community,take measures to prevent and neutralise threats emanating from this region. This also a very important task (for the FSB),” he said.

Calling for “more active” global cooperation in combating international terrorism,Medvedev pointed to “not bad” anti-terror interaction already existing among the members of BRIC group of Brazil,Russia,India and China.

“This is also quite important direction of cooperation (within BRIC),” the Russian leader noted. Earlier,during his meeting with the leader of parliamentary parties represented in the Duma (Lower House of parliament) yesterday,Medvedev had expressed his deep concern at the ‘radicalisation’ and Talibanisation of Pakistan.

According to the sources in Moscow,during his brief meeting on the sidelines of Russian PM’s reception in Davos on Wednesday,Vladimir Putin had conveyed to his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani Moscow’s concern at the terror outfits active on Pakistani soil and their role in Mumbai terror strikes against neighbouring India.