Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for pooling the efforts of various countries under the United Nations auspices to combat maritime piracy.
“We think it would be useful to regularly exchange our best practices for combating piracy, armed robbery and other criminal activities at sea. In this context, it would be expedient to think about setting up a special structure within the United Nations system that would deal with the problems of maritime crime in various regions,” he said on Monday in his video address to the United Nations Security Council high-level meeting on maritime security.
According to the Russian president, Russia is interested in building productive cooperation with the Indian Ocean Rim Association and the Indian Ocean Commission. Moscow, in his words, is ready to help ensure security in the Gulf area, in the Atlantic – in the Gulf of Guinea, where maritime banditry and hostage-taking cases have become more frequent.
“The specifics of the situation are that some countries find it really difficult to rebuff transnational crime syndicates, pirates and terrorists unaided. That is why it is expedient to consolidate, under the United Nations auspices, the potential of special services and corresponding armed contingents of all concerned states,” Putin stressed, adding that Russia is ready to share its experience of anti-terrorist operations, crime prevention practices and practices of exposing and exterminating illegal armed groups, including at sea.
The Russian president noted that such a structure could rest on support from UN member states and engage experts, representatives of civil society, researchers and even private businesses. “We hope our partners will consider Russia’s initiative in a constructive way,” he said.
He also reiterated that Russia is committed to the joint tasks of combating maritime crime in all of its formats and manifestations. “We are ready to continue to promote the development of equal international cooperation in this sphere,” he stressed and thanked the Indian side for initiating this meeting.
Source: TASS