On Wednesday June 23, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon received heads of delegations that arrived in Dushanbe to attend the 16th session of Security Council Secretaries from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member nations.

According to the Tajik president’s official website, the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of India Ajit Kumar Doval, Kazakhstan’s Security Council Secretary Aset Isekshev, Kyrgyzstan’s Security Council Marat Imankulov, Pakistani National Security Advisor Moeed W. Yusuf, Russia’s Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, Tajikistan’s Security Council Secretary Nasrullo Mahmoudzoda, Deputy Secretary of the National Security Council Bobur Usmanov and Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) Jumakhon Ghiyosov participated the meeting.  

Issues related to cooperation in jointly addressing threats posing by international terrorism, extremism, religious radicalism and transnational organized crime, including trafficking in weapons and narcotic drugs, were discussed at the meeting.  

It was noted that the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure could play an important role in providing regional security and strengthening ties between member states in countering modern threats and challenges.  

The meeting participants also discussed issues of cooperation between the SCO member nations in ensuring reliable information security and jointly combating cybercrime.

They also exchanged views on biological and food security amid the coronavirus pandemic.  

A special attention was given the current political and military situation in Afghanistan and the alarming tendencies of its escalation, the Tajik president’s official website said.  

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization currently has eight full members -- China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia are four observer states, and SCO’s dialogue partners include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey.  ACEAN, CIS, Turkmenistan and the United Nations are guest attendances.

The SCO now represents around 42% of the world’s population, 22% of its land area and around 20% of GDP.