Podgorica - South East Europe Military Intelligence Chiefs’ forum - Expert Working Group (SEEMIC EWG) met at their 9th meeting on 20 April 2017 in Podgorica to discuss the draft Open-source intelligence (OSINT) assessment and agenda of the main SEEMIC conference planned later this year.

Following the decision from the last SEEMIC main conference held in Chisinau, Moldova this year’s OSINT assessment is dedicated to ‘Use of Social Media by violent extremists', the draft of which was prepared by the Department for Military Intelligence and Security Affairs of Montenegrin Ministry of Defence.

Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretary General, Goran Svilanovic welcomed the meeting participants, expressing organisation’s support to SEEMIC that will continue in the following three years, and reminding the present about the latest developments in prevention and countering of violent extremism (P-CVE) in South East Europe (SEE).

“There is tangible progress made in strengthening interagency cooperation, at the national level, and overall coordination, through joint actions, at regional level. Also, new trends in security threats for the region, marked with the ceased outflow of new recruits from SEE joining the ranks of foreign terrorist fighters (FTF) and their return to the homelands, shifted the focus of the RCC from the recruitment of FTF to prevention of violent extremism, and dealing with the “returnees” (former FTF) in the course of this year.”

Svilanovic concluded that the discussion on the use of social networks by violent extremists was an example that illustrates pragmatic and result-oriented approach of SEEMIC cooperation, which would make a specific contribution to the overall P-CVE efforts in the region in this important aspect.

The meeting organised by the RCC and Department for Military Intelligence and Security Affairs of the Ministry of Defence of Montenegro gathered security experts from the region.