Uzbekistan, Tashkent, September 3 /Trend D.Azizov/
The director of the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO RATS Executive Committee) Zhang Sinfen and the Iranian ambassador to Uzbekistan Ali Mardani Fard have discussed issues of military and political situation in Central Asia, Afghanistan and the Middle East, the SCO RATS press service reported.
According to the statement, the meeting was held in the Iranian Embassy in Tashkent.
During the meeting the sides confirmed their mutual interest in strengthening antiterrorist cooperation between SCO and Iran and expressed their willingness to further establish joint security cooperation and conduct working meetings.
The Iranian ambassador to Uzbekistan invited the director of SCO RATS Executive Committee to undertake a working visit to Iran. This is intended to establish close contacts with the leadership of the relevant authorities that carry out work in the fight against international terrorism and drug trafficking and expressed a willingness to take the issues of cooperation between SCO RATS and the competent authorities of Iran under his personal control.
The director of SCO RATS Executive Committee informed the ambassador about the measures that the organisation undertakes on strengthening antiterrorist cooperation of the SCO member states and work to establish cooperation with the SCO observer states and its dialogue partners and dealing with the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking to create conditions for the development of peace processes in the region.
From January 1, 2013, Sinfen became director of SCO RATS Executive Committee in Tashkent by a decision of the Council of Heads of SCO member states.
Regional Antiterrorist Structure is a part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, established to facilitate coordination and cooperation among the competent authorities of SCO member states in combating terrorism, separatism and extremism. In its activities the RATS is guided by documents and decisions adopted within SCO and RATS interacts with the competent authorities of the parties and prepares the relevant materials at the request of other SCO authorities.
SCO was established in 2001 and is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation. It includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzystan, China, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan, all of whom have observer status. Belarus and Turkey and Sri Lanka are dialogue partners.