SCO to hold joint anti-terrorism exercise in 2019

TASHKENT - The Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (SCO) member states will hold a joint anti-terrorism exercise "Sary-Arka-Antiterror 2019," the Council of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) of the SCO said on Friday.

The decision to hold a joint exercise was announced during the 34th meeting of the RATS council held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Delegations of the competent authorities of India, Kazakhstan, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the RATS Executive Committee attended the meeting.

Chaired by Russia, the meeting also declared plans to hold the first stage of the joint border operation "Solidarity 2019-2021," the 7th meeting of the heads of the border services, and training workshops on identifying and preventing the use of the Internet for terrorist, separatist and extremist purposes.

RATS is a permanent organ of the SCO which serves to promote cooperation of member states against the three evils of terrorism, separatism and extremism. It is headquartered in Tashkent.

The next meeting of the Council of the RATS SCO is scheduled to be held in Russia in September 2019.