On 10–15 October 2005, the IISS Russia and Eurasia Programme hosted senior Russian officials responsible for counter-terrorist policies in the Southern Federal District of the Russian Federation, which includes the North Caucasus.
The group included Nikolai Fedoryak, Deputy Presidential Representative in the Southern Federal District, Arkady Yedelev, Deputy Minister of Interior and Head of the Regional Operational HQ for Chechnya and senior officials from the Federal Security Service, as well as officials from the Interior Ministry, Presidential Administration and National Security Council. The visit was organised jointly with the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation and RIA-Novosti.
This was the first Russian inter-agency visit to the United Kingdom to discuss government strategies on fighting terrorism. Following the official visit by President Putin to the UK in early October, the group was hosted by Cabinet Office officials at COBRA, the UK’s main crisis response centre. Key British decision-makers and concerned officials also attended, such as Bill Jeffrey, Security and Intelligence Coordinator at the Cabinet Office, as well as senior officials from the Cabinet Office, Home Office, Security Service and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). A wide-ranging discussion encompassed the key elements of the British government’s anti-terrorist strategy, with a focus on the ‘4Ps’: prevent, pursue, protect and prepare. At a meeting with officials from the Metropolitan Police, Commander John McDowall, Deputy National Co-ordinator of Terrorism Investigations, briefed the group on the investigations into the 7 July terrorist attacks in London and the attempted attacks of 21 July. The Russian officials also had a meeting with Edward Oakden, Director for Defence and Strategic Threats at the FCO.
On 12 October, the Russian officials participated in a Round Table Meeting, at the IISS, on Russian and European Perspectives on Terrorism, National and International Responses. Sir Adam Roberts, Montague Burton Professor of International Relations at Oxford University, Fellow of Balliol College and IISS Council Member underlined the difficulties in developing a common definition of terrorism within the scope of international law. Nikolai Fedoryak outlined Russia’s perceptions of key terrorist threats. Maj.-Gen. Sebastian Roberts, General Officer Commanding London District, spoke on the British military contribution to the aftermath of the 7 July attacks, underlining the general complexity of fighting terrorism in large cities. Jeremy Page, Head of Operations (Terrorism and Protection) at the Home Office, discussed UK policies in relation to preparing for the possibility of terrorist attacks, which included regular exercises at various levels, including on an inter-agency basis. Meanwhile, Arkady Yedelev considered Russia’s national responses to terrorist threats, including the aim of improving inter-agency coordination. Shirzadi Beg, a British immigration judge, spoke about the roots of radicalisation among Muslim communities in Britain, while in the last session, Professor Michael Clarke from King’s College, London and Mikhail Belousov from the Russian Federal Security Service discussed the key priorities for and possible limitations on international cooperation in fighting terrorism.
On 13–14 October, the group visited Northern Ireland, where they met the members of Independent Monitoring Commission, the Police Oversight Commission and the Police Ombudsman. Meetings also took place with representatives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the British Army’s HQ Northern Ireland and the government’s Organised Crime Task Force and Assets Recovery Agency. The programme included unprecedented visits to a number of UK military facilities in Northern Ireland, including a visit to 39 Infantry Brigade. Russian participants were briefed on the process of withdrawal of British troops from Northern Ireland following the IRA’s arms decommissioning process, on police reform and on the police-military interface in counter-terrorism policies. Efforts to combat organised crime and links between organised crime and paramilitary groups were also discussed.
The visit was hosted by Oksana Antonenko, Senior Fellow for Russia and Eurasia and Col. (retd) Christopher Langton, Head of the Defence Analysis Department and Editor of The Military Balance. The visit was funded by the British government’s conflict prevention pool. The IISS plans to continue facilitating UK–Russian dialogue on counter-terrorism at the senior policy making level and to provide a platform for an open and informal exchange of views.
