Tashkent hosts the 45th meeting of the SCO RATS Council

Today in Tashkent, under the chairmanship of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the 45th meeting of the Council of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO RATS) was held.

The meeting was attended by delegations from the competent authorities of the SCO member states – Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan – as well as representatives of the SCO RATS Executive Committee. The Deputy Secretary-General of the SCO, Batir Tursunov, attended as an honorary guest.

Participants discussed key issues on the international agenda related to ensuring regional security and approved several reporting documents on the activities of the SCO RATS for 2025, which will be submitted to the Council of Heads of State of the Organization for consideration.

Special attention was given to the situation in the Middle East. The SCO RATS Council voiced serious concern over events in the region, including military strikes on Iran’s territory, stressing that the use of force is unacceptable. Participants called for resolving disagreements solely through peaceful means, based on dialogue, mutual respect, and adherence to international law and the UN Charter. The importance of maintaining Iran’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, as well as the need for restraint by all parties, was highlighted.

The Council offered condolences to the victims’ families and emphasized that attempts to discredit the competent authorities of the SCO member states are unacceptable.

During the meeting, the transformation of terrorist, separatist, and extremist threats was highlighted, including in relation to the ongoing activities of international terrorist groups in Afghanistan and Syria. In this context, the need to strengthen joint efforts and improve security cooperation mechanisms was reaffirmed.

Participants reviewed the implementation of previously adopted decisions, the results of the work by relevant expert groups for 2025, as well as the execution of the SCO member states’ Cooperation Program in combating terrorism, separatism, and extremism for 2025-2027. The results of joint counterterrorism exercises and information operations conducted in 2025 were approved.

An agreement was made to hold the twelfth meeting of the heads of border services of the competent authorities of the SCO member states in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in 2026. In the Republic of Belarus, the 12th international scientific and practical conference on cooperation among SCO member and observer states in combating terrorism, separatism, and extremism will be held. In the People’s Republic of China, there will be joint counterterrorism exercises among the competent authorities of SCO member states to detect and prevent the use of the Internet for terrorist, separatist, and extremist purposes. In the Republic of India, a practical seminar for the competent authorities of SCO member states will focus on countering the use of the Internet for such purposes, along with a joint information operation to discredit terrorist, separatist, and extremist organizations that aim to undermine the constitutional order of SCO member states in the global information space, including through the use of information and communication technologies. In 2027, in the Republic of Kazakhstan, joint counterterrorism exercises will be held among the competent authorities of the SCO member states.

Issues related to organizational and staffing support for the SCO RATS Executive Committee’s activities were reviewed. Several employees from the competent authorities of SCO member states and officials of the SCO RATS Executive Committee were recognized for their personal contributions to the development of SCO RATS activities and the enhancement of cooperation among the competent authorities of the SCO member states.

A positive evaluation was given to the activities of the SCO RATS Executive Committee. The meeting took place in a professional and constructive atmosphere.

The next SCO RATS Council meeting is scheduled for September 2026 in Pakistan.

[gallery-28530]

Aziza Alimova, photos by Nosirjon Khaydarov, UzA