SCO, CSTO, CIS agree to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation
MOSCOW. June 9 (Interfax-AVN) - The meeting of the top officials of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was held on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Qingdao, China, on Saturday, the CSTO Secretariat said.
"The parties acknowledged the need for the further consolidation of efforts and improving international counter-terrorism cooperation. We emphasize that ties of the sort should be maintained with the UN's central and coordinating role based on the strict observance of its Charter and the norms of international law, the principle of unacceptability of 'double standards'," the statement shared with Interfax-AVN said.
The heads of organizations welcomed the memorandum on mutual understanding in the issues of cooperation and interaction between the CSTO Secretariat, the CIS Counter-Terrorism Center and the SCO Regional Counter-Terrorism Structure signed in May 2018.
This event "will impart a new impulse to the interaction between partners in the interests of resolving common concrete strategic tasks," CSTO Secretary General Yury Khachaturov said. "This also indicates the practical confirmation of the growing role of cooperation between various regional international structures and in the global context," SCO Secretary General Rashid Alimov said.
At the meeting the parties underscored the importance of delivering a joint address to young people by the heads of state at the upcoming SCO summit, a program of action to implement it aimed at preventing the recruitment of young people into terrorist and extremist organizations, the statement said.
"The parties also expressed concern about increasing threats related to drug trafficking. They stressed the need to work out a joint approach in this area," the CSTO Secretariat said.