Secretariat of SCO antiterrorist structure starts work this year

China supports the launching of the SCO antiterrorist structure secretariat as early as this year.

When speaking at the SCO summit in Moscow, Chinese President Hu Jintao stated that "creation of the regional antiterrorist structure /RATS/ was a big step forward".

"We must double our efforts to launch the organisation's secretariat as early as this year and complete the formation of RATS," the Chinese President stated. According to him, the Chinese government decided to provide free quarters for RATS as the organisation is based in Beijing. "We will continue to provide all necessary assistance to strengthen the secretariat," Hu Jintao assured.

According to him, security cooperation has always been a key direction for the SCO. "We cannot weaken our activity in the face of new threats, moreover, we cannot ignore them," the Chinese President stressed. "We must make further efforts to maintain stability in the region and suppress terrorism financing," the Chinese leader pointed out. Besides, he said, combating drug trafficking must also be a key issue on the agenda of security cooperation.