(VOVworld) – Terrorism is a threat to member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Russian Presidnet Vladimir Putin said at the closing ceremony of the CSTO summit in Sochi city, Russia on Monday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and CSTO Kyrgyztan President at a press conference

Condemning terrorist acts in Iraq and Syria, Putin stressed that terrorism in any country would directly affect the interests of CSTO member states. In a joint statement on Syria approved at the summit, CSTO states supported efforts to convene the international Geneva-2 conference and proposals by Russia and the US to hand over Syria’s chemical weapons arsenals to the control of the world community. The CSTO also strongly condemned terrorism which uses violence against civilians and protested at illegal activities to militarize the conflict in Syria. The CSTO expressed its hope that Syria and other Middle East countries would return to peace soon and strongly criticized any external military intervention, considering it an invasion, as cited in the UN Charter.

At the end of the summit, Kyrgyztan handed over the CSTO presidency to Russia. President Putin said one of the priorities in the new term of his presidency would be to strengthen cooperation with the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in security and the fight against drugs and terrorism.