CSTO and SCO Interested in Cooperation

At a meeting with journalists, Bakhtiyer Khakimov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for SCO Affairs, said that the CSTO and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have “many overlapping areas” and are interested in further cooperation.

“One of the key areas of SCO work is anti-terrorism. The SCO RATS [regional anti-terrorist structure] operates very effectively and interacts with many specialized bodies, including within the UN system,” Mr Khakimov said.

He also recalled that as early as in October 2007, the CSTO and the SCO signed a memorandum of understanding in Dushanbe and maintain regular contacts and work together on its basis. The document defines “points of contact” on the establishment and development of equal and constructive interaction between the SCO and CSTO Secretariats in the sphere of regional and international security and stability, anti-terrorism, fight against illegal trafficking of drugs, prevention of arms trafficking, counteraction of organized transnational crime and other areas of mutual interest.