Iran’s delegation officially takes part in anti-terrorism summit of SCO
An Iranian delegation has formally taken part in a meeting of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) after the Islamic Republic fully joined the Eurasian political, economic, security and defense organization in July.
Representatives from nine member states, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and two observers participated in the 40th edition of the meeting on Friday.
They discussed and exchanged viewpoints on issues concerning terrorism, separatism as well as extremism, and condemned in the strongest terms the recent deadly terrorist attack on the Shah Cheragh shrine in Iran’s southern city of Shiraz.
The continuation of the fight against Daesh Takfiri terrorist group and the need to focus on the situation in Afghanistan were also among the important topics raised during the event.
Moreover, the efforts to fight terrorism were praised and participants paid tribute to top Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, who was martyred alongside his companions in a drone strike authorized by former US president Donald Trump near Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020.
The 40th meeting of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was chaired by Kazakhstan.
The next chairmanship was conferred to China for the year 2024.
Iran gained full-fledged membership of the SCO on July 4, during the 23rd virtual summit of the bloc that was hosted by India, becoming the ninth member of the influential security and trade alliance.
The SCO was founded by China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan in 2001, and currently forms the world's biggest regional market with eight official and four observer members.
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