DUSHANBE, March 31, 2009, Asia-Plus — The 14th session of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) Anti-terror Center that was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on March 30 endorsed the anti-terror cooperation program for 2010-2012 and a draft convention on the fight against terrorism, press release issued by the SCO said.
The 14th session of the SCO regional anti-terrorist agency involved representatives of Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The session participants accepted a Russian proposal to hold a joint session of special and law enforcement service chiefs of the organization’s member-states at the headquarters of the Russian FSB’s (Federal Security Service) special operations center in May, Interfax reported yesterday. The upcoming event will address cooperation between special operations forces to counter terrorist threats and include exercises with a simulated hostage-release operation.
Interfax quoted Uzbek National Security Service First deputy chairman Shukhrat Gulyamov as saying, “The Tashkent session had been successful and decisions taken at it would help broaden contacts between SCO special services engaged in combating terrorism, extremism and separatism.” The SCO regional anti-terrorist agency has compiled a list of more than 900 persons wanted by the authorities for terrorist and extremist crimes, Gulyamov said.
Established in 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization groups Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Its regional anti-terror center came into operation in Tashkent in June 2004.
