VITEBSK, 27 June (BelTA) – The development of joint information technologies will be discussed at a session of the joint board of the interior ministries of the Union State. The session will be held in Vitebsk on 28 June, BelTA learnt from the information and public relations department of the Belarusian Interior Ministry. The participants of the session will discuss development of joint information and telecommunication technologies, communication management and information protection. Top on the agenda will be unification of software and hardware solutions, formats of information exchange and storage, digital wireless communication systems of law enforcement agencies in the border areas, exchange of new textbooks and manuals in this field. Works to enable wireless communication have already been carried out along the Moscow-Minsk-Brest motorway and railway. The Interstate Information Databank has been established to conduct information exchange. The interior ministries of the CIS member states collect and use the centralized operational and reference data of the databank, criminal and investigation records, as well as statistical information and archives. The number of records in this databank exceeds 72 million. The joint board will also discuss cooperation in combating extremism: joint operations, drills, and a possibility to harmonize laws. In April 2012 Russia enacted a law banning people once convicted of extremism from holding posts in education and upbringing. The House of Representatives of the National Assembly is now examining a bill envisaging a different approach to suspending the operation of organizations and individual entrepreneurs involved in extremist activities. The participants of the session will also study the 2013 draft plan of activities of the joint board and sign final documents. Taking part in the session will be interior ministry chiefs of Belarus and Russia Igor Shunevich and Vladimir Kolokoltsev.

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