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SCO has growing role in the East — Russian defense minister

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is turning into one of most important structures not only in Central Asia, but also in the East, says Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ITAR-TASS/Dmitry Astakhov

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu

© ITAR-TASS/Dmitry Astakhov

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KHUDZHAND, April 01. /ITAR-TASS/. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) turns in one of most important structures and has a growing role in international relations, visiting Russian Defense Minister General Sergei Shoigu said at a bilateral meeting with Tajik counterpart Sherali Mirzo in this Tajik city on Tuesday.

“The SCO is turning into one of most important structures, to our mind, not only in Central Asia, but also in the East,” Shoigu said.

In his words, there are many questions in the SCO that require debates and attention for 15 next years, or, according to some estimates, even for 20 years. The Russian defense minister noted that this concerned military and military-technical cooperation.

“I believe that our today’s meetings on bilateral basis and within the SCO will result in further positive steps in development of bilateral relations and within such major and serious organizations as the SCO,” Shoigu noted.

For his part, the Tajik defense minister thanked the Russian counterpart who “despite his busy and intensive working schedule accepted invitation to participate in a meeting of the defense ministers of the SCO states.” “Our bilateral relations are highly valuable for us, so, we attach major importance to meetings in this format,” Mirzo noted.

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The Collective Security Treaty came into force on April 20, 1994 to herald the emergence what would eventually become the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The six member-countries are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

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