Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will address the participants in the conference dedicated to counteraction to illegal arms supplies in light of the fight against international terrorism, which will be held in Moscow’s World Trade Center.
The top diplomat’s speech will open the event. According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, taking part in the conference will be senior officials of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Foreign Intelligence Service, members of Russia’s State Duma (lower house of parliament) and Federation Council (upper house of parliament).
UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Yuri Fedotov is expected to address the event.
Representatives of 21 countries and heads of counterterrorism units of 11 international organizations have confirmed their participation.
On August 2, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said that Russia had reliable information on the involvement of some countries’ special services in organizing the shipment of arms to terrorists in the Middle East and North Africa and was ready to share that data.
Prior to that, the UN Security Council passed a resolution on countering the supply of small arms to terrorists. However, it made no mention of some proposals put forward by Moscow, including the initiative to impose a comprehensive trade and economic embargo on territories controlled by the Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia)