The ongoing Sino-Russian joint anti-terror exercise,
"Cooperation 2007," is aimed at gaining experience from one another
to combat terrorism, a senior Russian military official said
yesterday.
The exercise, conducted within the framework of the "Year of
China" in Russia, began in Moscow on Tuesday.
"Terrorism is widespread. No single country can deal with the
terrorist threat by just using its own forces," Commander-in-Chief
of the Interior Troops of the Russian Interior Ministry Nikolay
Rogozhkin, told reporters through a video news conference in
Moscow.
Joint measures between countries are needed to fight terrorism,
he said.
The first day of the joint exercise by a Chinese Snow Leopard
armed police unit and a Russian special task force was
"satisfactory", Rogozhkin said.
About 1,000 Chinese and Russian troops are participating the
three-day exercise.
China and Russia are expanding cooperation in combating illegal
immigration, smuggling and international crime, Commander of
Chinese People's Armed Police Force Wu Shuangzhan said at the
opening ceremony of the joint drill on Tuesday.
The exercise is not targeted at any country and doesn't infringe
on the interests of or pose a threat to a third country, Xinhua
News Agency quoted Wu as saying.
Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev said he was
"confident that the exercise would help improve mutual
understanding and strengthen cooperation between the two
countries".
(China Daily September 6, 2007)
