MOSCOW, December 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Monday the activities of the Foreign Intelligence Service, including in the counter-terrorism sphere.
"The special services should respond to these [new] challenges promptly and properly, and display flexibility, high mobility and quality of your activities," Putin said at a ceremony marking the 85th anniversary of the service's founding.
"You should be able to look into the future and forecast potential threats to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of this country," he said.
Putin, who himself worked overseas in the security services in Soviet times, said the service should focus on arms control and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction given that the risks of extremists seizing weapons of mass destruction were currently high.
