ASTANA – Uzbekistan hosted on Nov. 7-8 the ninth international scientific-practical conference of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to review the regulatory environment for anti-terrorist cooperation, as reported by the SCO press service.
The ninth scientific-practical conference of the SCO RATS dedicated to promoting trust, cooperation, and professionalism for secure future. Photo credit: kazinform.kz.
More than 160 participants from 17 countries gathered in Tashkent, including member and observer states, SCO dialogue partners, executives of eight international organizations, ten international research centers, and representatives of educational institutions. They discussed forecasts of terrorist and extremist risks in the SCO space and the role of civil society and scientific organizations in countering terrorism.
“As a result of the coordinated work and information exchange between the competent authorities of the SCO countries, the activity of 73 clandestine terrorist organization cells has been thwarted in our region. Additionally, 69 terrorist attacks have been prevented, 1,440 incidents have been uncovered, and 91 crimes of a terrorist, separatist, and extremist nature have been stopped,” said Ruslan Mirzayev, the director of the SCO RATS executive committee, as reported by the Kazinform news agency.
He added that a total of 507 cases were detected, 447 individuals detained, 54 convicted, and 182 leaders, members, and accomplices of terrorist organizations were neutralized. Furthermore, 123 foreign militants were found, 13,166 financing channels exposed, and 5 channels of illegal migration, which were used for terrorist and extremist purposes, were identified. In addition, joint efforts have led to the blocking of approximately 25,000 online materials promoting terrorism and extremism.
SCO Deputy Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev emphasized the critical role of the SCO in addressing not only terrorist threats but also in fostering broad cooperation. He highlighted that current armed conflicts and their outcomes are likely to shape the geopolitical landscape for the coming decades.
Yermekbayev added that disruptions in cross-border commercial activities and supply chain issues that have been regularly occurring in recent years can lead to inflation, price increases, and energy shortages, which in turn jeopardize the integrity of international security.
According to him, the SCO’s focus should extend to cooperation in trade, economic, political, innovation, cultural, and humanitarian spheres.
