TUNIS, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The 36th session of the Arab Interior Ministers Council kicked off on Sunday in Tunis to discuss the common interests in strengthening Arab security cooperation.

"The Arab region is facing serious security challenges, especially terrorism crimes, cybercrimes, illegal immigration and human trafficking," said Tunisian Interior Minister Hichem Fourati at the opening.

These crimes threaten Arab security, and further work is needed to develop means of fighting them, Fourati added.

The Interior Minister of Saudi Arabia Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said terrorism and extremism threaten the entire world, calling for further work to dry up the sources of terrorist funding and to fight against money laundering and financial crime.

The Secretary General of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers Mohamed Ben Ali Koman said the most serious security challenge facing the Arab countries is the return of terrorist elements from hotbeds of tension following the defeat of terrorist organizations.

Koman called for updating an Arab database on "terrorist fighters" and continuing to feed the base with all available information to confront the terrorist scourge.

This session was attended by ministers of interior of the Arab states, senior security delegations, representatives of various Arab and international organizations.