TASHKENT, 5 April. /UZINFORM/. The 16th session of the Council of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Tashkent on 2 April. Representatives of Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan participated in the meeting.

The RATS Council condemned the terrorist acts that took place in Moscow in March, leading to numerous casualties, and called for the further consolidation of the efforts of SCO member states in fighting with terrorism, reports Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The complex measures of the SCO member countries to assist Russia in ensuring safety of events related to celebrations of the 65th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, as well as Uzbekistan in ensuring security of the SCO summit in Tashkent were approved.

The participants listened to the reports of the RATS Executive Committee director D.Djumanbekov on the implementation of the RATS Council decisions and of the SCO member states’ program of cooperation in fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism for 2007-2009. The draft RATS Council report to the SCO Heads of States Council on the RATS activity in 2009 was approved.

The meeting participants also considered issues of improvement of cooperation in fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism. They agreed that the RATS activities were adequate to the modern challenges and threats in fighting the “three evils”.

To deepen cooperation, the sides agreed to hold regular meetings of competent bodies to exchange information and to create a group to coordinate the joint fight with illegal activities of one of the large international terrorist organizations.

In the framework of the Program of cooperation of SCO member states in fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism for 2010-2012, the sides approved the proposal to hold joint anti-terrorist drill in 2010 on the territory of Russia.

The participants also agreed to hold the next session of the SCORATS Council in September in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

UZINFORM