SCO anti-terrorist exercise to be held in China, Kazakhstan in August

Anti-terrorist exercise of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will be held in August on the territory of Kazakhstan and China. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov made this announcement after talks with his Chinese counterpart Cao Gangchuan, in response to RIA Novosti's question related to the meeting of the SCO defence ministers that finished on Thursday.

"We signed a memorandum on holding in August this year the first anti-terrorist exercise within the SCO," Ivanov said. The first stage of the exercise will be held in Southeast Kazakhstan, while the second on the territory of China near the border with Kazakhstan, the minister explained.

For this exercise Russia will send "an adequately trained and equipped troop of the Defense Ministry's servicemen," Ivanov pointed out.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization comprises Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.