SCO RATS marks its 10th anniversary

Mr. Zhang Xinfeng, Director of SCO RATS chaired the Celebration. More than 100 participants including members of SCO RATS Council, former directors, deputy directors and consultants of SCO RATS, permanent representatives of SCO member states to RATS, SCO Secretary-General, deputy Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan, SCO national coordinator of Uzbekistan, representatives of foreign diplomatic missions of SCO member states, observer states and dialogue partners in Uzbekistan, representatives of such international organizations as CIS ATC, CSTO, UNODC, CICA and UNRCCA were present at the Celebration.

At the Celebration, Mr. Zhang Xinfeng, Director of SCO RATS, Mr. Zaluv, Chairman of SCO RATS Council and members of SCO RATS Council made speeches respectively, which reviewed the 10 years glorious history of SCO RATS, and highly commended the great efforts made by SCO RATS with regard to coordinating the competent authorities of parties in combating the “Three Evil Forces” and maintaining regional security and stability.

They noted that over the past 10 years, under the guidance of SCO RATS Council, SCO RATS Executive Committee earnestly implemented the arrangements of the Council of Heads of SCO Member States, played a coordinating role in working together with competent authorities of parties, established a complete set of legal framework and a series of effective anti-terror regional mechanism, expanded cooperative relationship with regional and international organizations, and made great contributions to effectively fighting against the “Three Evils Forces” as well as maintaining regional security and stability.

At present, the security situation in the region is generally stable and controllable but the threats and challenges it faces are still serious and complex. On the one hand, the activities of “Three Evil Forces” especially those of international terrorism and religious extremism are still very rampant. They took all means including internet to engage in propaganda instigations and expand recruitments, which caused serious damages to the social foundations of SCO member states, leading to Muslim youth of some SCO member states engaging in spontaneous extremism activities, the consistent emergence of underground extremist groups and occurrence of violent terrorist attacks. On the other hand, the instability of situations in South Asia and Northwest Africa as well as the imminent contradictions during the period of social transformation in countries of SCO member states have posed serious threats and challenges to SCO member states.

They maintained that the celebration by the competent authorities of SCO member states of the 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of SCO RATS is to review the successful experiences gained over the past 10 years by the parties in combating the “Three Evil Forces” and maintaining regional security and stability, make analysis and find out problems and weak points in anti-terror cooperation, so as to push the cooperation of competent authorities of parties in the fight against “Three Evil Forces” moving in the direction of more practical and effective development.

Members of SCO RATS Council reached the consensus that in the work ahead, the competent authorities of parties will spare no efforts to support the work of the Executive Committee of SCO RATS and try hard to build the Executive Committee into a platform of high-efficient law-enforcement and security cooperation.

At the Celebration, Mr. Mesentsev, Secretary-General of SCO, Mr. Bahbov, deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, representatives of SCO observer states, CIS ATC, UNRCCA, CICA, and UNODC took turns to make enthusiastic speeches. They congratulated on the successful establishment and operation of SCO RATS Executive Committee over the past 10 years, fully affirmed the important role of the Executive Committee in the fight against the “Three Evil Forces” as well as maintaining regional security and stability, and wish the Executive Committee to play a greater role in promoting cooperation between the competent authorities of SCO member states in combating the “Three Evil Forces” and maintaining regional security and stability.