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SCO Chiefs of General Staff to hold meeting in Moscow

Russia’s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov will chair a meeting with his counterparts from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s member-states in Moscow

MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/. Russia’s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov will chair a meeting with his counterparts from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s member-states in Moscow on Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

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"The meeting will be attended by delegations of all SCO member-states (India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) and also the Republic of Belarus (observer state), the Secretariat and the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terror Structure," the ministry said.

The sides will exchange views on vital issues of the international and regional agenda and on prospects of improving military cooperation between the SCO member-states.

The Chiefs of General Staff will take part in monitoring the active phase of the joint military anti-terrorism command and staff exercise, Peace Mission-2018, which is underway in the Central Military District.

The Declaration on the Establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was inked in China’s Shanghai in June 2001 by six founding states - Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. On June 9, 2017 India and Pakistan became full-fledged members of the SCO. Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia currently enjoy observer status while Sri Lanka, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia and Nepal are dialogue partners.

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