SOCHI, November 10. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has noted a noticeable intensification of foreign policy and military cooperation between the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries.
"I would like to note that foreign policy and military cooperation between the SCO states has intensified significantly," he said on Tuesday at a SCO summit held via videoconference.
Putin recalled that two foreign ministers’ meetings had taken place, and in September, a joint meeting of the SCO defense ministers was organized in Moscow. The defense chiefs of the CSTO and CIS countries took part in it for the first time. "We consider this undertaking to be useful and hope that such extended meetings of natural partners will become regular," he noted. "It seems that this will make it possible to improve the quality of coordination between law enforcement agencies, monitor the situation in the field of defense and security throughout the vast Eurasian space."
Putin added that joint exercises involving the militaries and special units of the SCO member states and the organization’s partners, including from observer states, continued. "In particular, a counterterrorism exercise took place in Kazakhstan, in China an exercise was held to counter attempts to use the Internet for extremist purposes, in Russia, the first stage of the Solidarity border operation was held," he noted. "In addition, Russia and Kazakhstan have organized and conducted two international anti-drug operations Spider Web.".