Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have pledged to join their efforts in the fight against international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

FSB director Nikolai Patrushev and FBI Director Robert Mueller on Monday signed a memorandum of cooperation. The signing ceremony was held at the FSB headquarters in Moscow.

Patrushev said the memorandum "specifically provides for cooperation in a number of fields, primarily the fight against international terrorism, crimes connected with weapons of mass destruction, and some other areas."

"We organised concrete events (with FBI) before too, they were quite successful, and we plan more," he added.

"I think the signing of the memorandum will allow our officers and experts to work more efficiently," Patrushev said.

Mueller said the memorandum was a step forward in cooperative efforts against new challenges, such as terrorism and organised crime.

The document allows the sides to exchange information on a number of issues.

Mueller thanked his Russian colleagues for cooperation and expressed the hope for joint work in the future.

Source: Itar-Tass