India hosts SCO-RATS meeting

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Counter-terrorism experts from India, Pakistan and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) discussed ways to enhance cooperation in tackling various regional security challenges in a meeting hosted in New Delhi on May 16.

• The meeting is being held under the regional counter-terrorism framework of the SCO.

• A major focus of the discussion was on the situation in Afghanistan where all countries are threatened by terrorist groups operating in the Taliban-ruled country.

• Pakistan has sent a three-member team for the meeting.

• The Afghan issue has figured prominently in almost all the major meetings of the SCO.

• Council of Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of SCO (RATS SCO)

• India assumed the presidency of the SCO (RATS SCO) on 28 October last year for a period of one year.

• India has shown keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Framework (RATS).

• This specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.

• The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest inter-regional international organisations.

• The member states of the SCO

• Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

• Afghanistan is among the observer states of the SCO.