The 42nd meeting of the Council of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO RATS) was held in Beijing (People's Republic of China) under the chairmanship of the People's Republic of China on September 13, 2024. The event was attended by delegations of the competent authorities of the SCO member states: the Republic of Belarus, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as the Executive Committee of the SCO RATS.

The RATS SCO Council welcomed the delegation of the Republic of Belarus that was participating in the work of the RATS SCO Council for the first time, expressed support for the people of Belarus in their fight against the forces of the "three evils" and confidence that expanding the circle of the Organization's participants will contribute to strengthening security in the SCO space, building the counter-terrorism capacity of the RATS SCO and increasing its authority in the international arena.

The Council also advocated the development of a professional dialogue on the full range of threats emanating from terrorism. They declared their firm determination to eliminate the policy of double standards in combating terrorism.

Participants reviewed the results of the implementation of the decisions of the SCO RATS Council that were adopted earlier and approved work plans of the SCO RATS Executive Committee and the specialized expert groups of the competent authorities of the SCO member states.

They approved the results of the joint information operation and practical seminar for the competent authorities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states held in  2024 on countering the use of the Internet for terrorist, separatist and extremist purposes.

They noted the following important practical events that were successfully organized and held during the Chinese chairmanship: the Joint Anti-Terrorism Exercise of the Competent Authorities of the SCO Member States “Interaction - Anti-Terror - 2024,” the 10th Meeting of the Heads of Border Services of the competent authorities of the SCO Member States, the meeting of representatives of the competent authorities of the SCO member states on the exchange of operational information in the field of combating terrorism, separatism and extremism.

  

The 10th International Scientific and Practical Conference of the SCO RATS was held simultaneously at the same venue as the 2nd CIS Conference on Combating Terrorism and Separatism.

These events contributed to strengthening the cooperation and improving interaction between the competent authorities of the SCO member states.

The RATS SCO Council strongly condemned the terrorist attacks committed in the SCO member states, which constitute a flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations, the fundamental principles and norms of international law, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-use of force or threat of force, as well as the inalienable human right to life. The members expressed confidence in the prompt identification of the orchestrators and perpetrators of the terrorist attacks, and their inevitable punishment.

Decisions were made on issues related to arrangements and human resources necessary to support the activities of the SCO RATS Executive Committee.

An agreement was reached to hold the next meeting of the RATS SCO Council in March 2025 in Tashkent.

The chairmanship of the RATS SCO Council was transferred from the People's Republic of China to the Kyrgyz Republic. 

The Council meeting was held in a businesslike, constructive and friendly atmosphere.