Afrasianet - Russia and the United Arab Emirates called on Friday for the formation of a broad international coalition against terrorism and agreed to strengthen political and defense cooperation and to turn the Middle East into a zone free of weapons of mass destruction.

Following bilateral talks in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, signed the Declaration of the Strategic Partnership between Russia and the United Arab Emirates: “Both sides are convinced that the unprecedented proliferation of terrorism and extremism as well as structures and organizations that threaten the security of States and their sovereignty requires the entire world community to take resolute and collective measures away from the exercise of double standards and the principle of selectivity and in conformity with international law and the Charter of the United Nations.”

The document stressed that Russia and the UAE call for “the formation of a broad international coalition to combat terrorism and extremism based on respect for the sovereignty of States, which suffered directly from terrorist operations.”

Russia and the UAE stressed that  countries and institutions should play a leading role in countering terrorism and extremism and preventing their spread regionally and internationally, while adhering to the principle of sovereign equality of all countries.

Cyberspace security

Russia and the UAE also pledged that they would “contribute to ensuring the security, integrity and prevention of cyberspace for the purposes of disseminating the ideology of extremism.”

“The two sides express their determination to promote and develop political cooperation on bilateral, regional and international issues, including within the framework of the Russia-GCC strategic dialogue, the Russian-Arab cooperation forum and other platforms,” the statement said.

The document pointed out that Russia and the UAE will encourage the exchange of visits between heads of state, rrime ministers, members of parliament, as well as periodic consultations between the two foreign ministries, arranging contacts and relations between their regions and coordination within the framework of the United Nations.

The two sides agreed to support the strengthening of the role of the United Nations and the Security Council in promoting international peace and security, as well as complementing the international community’s capacity to prevent and resolve international crises and conflicts.