QINGDAO /China/, June 26. /TASS/. The defense ministries of the SCO member states need to step up collective efforts to counter terrorism and other threats emanating from Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said.
"It is necessary to increase joint efforts to counter terrorism and extremism, including those emanating from Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. It also seems logical to gradually combine the organization's potential with the capabilities of other international regional security structures. First and foremost, with the CSTO and the CIS," he said at a meeting of SCO defense officials in Qingdao.
Belousov stressed that "in the current circumstances, it is necessary to strengthen cooperation within the SCO."
"We must maintain the course towards further rapprochement in the interests of strengthening stability. We must neutralize attempts by unfriendly forces to destroy the long-standing ties that have developed within the organization. At the same time, we must ensure that the interests of each SCO country are taken into account in the best possible way," the top Russian defense official said.
He mentioned strengthening cooperation between defense ministries as one of the steps that will help solve these tasks.
