SCO anti-terror exercise

#GS-03 Internal Security #GS-02 International Relations

For Prelims

About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation:

  • SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organization.
  • The SCO Charter was signed in 2002 and entered into force in 2003.
  • Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan were members of the Shanghai Five which was the predecessor of SCO.

For More information about SCO click here.

About RATS:

  • Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) is a permanent body of the SCO and is intended to facilitate coordination and interaction between the SCO member states in the fight against terrorism, extremism and separatism.
  • The SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure was established by the member states of the Shanghai Convention on 15 June, 2001, in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz Republic.
  • The Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is the permanent body of the SCO RATS based in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.

About Manesar Anti-terror 2022:

  • Manesar Anti-terror 2022 is a multilateral anti-terror exercise under the framework of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS).
  • The exercise is aimed at exchanging expertise, best practices and build synergy between the Counter Terrorism Forces of the SCO RATS Member Countries to enhance capabilities for conducting Anti-Terrorist operations and countering other security threats collectively.

For Mains:

The main tasks and duties of RATS are as follows:

  1. Maintaining working relations with competent institutions of the member states and international organisations tackling issues of fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism;
  2. Assistance in interaction among the member states in preparation and staging of counter-terrorism exercises at the request of concerned member states, preparation and conduct of search operations and other activities in the field of fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism,
  3. Joint drafting of international legal documents concerning the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism,
  4. Gathering and analysis of information coming to the RATS from the member states, formation and filling of RATS data bank,
  5. Joint formation of a system of effective response to global challenges and threats,
  6. Preparation and holding of scientific conferences and workshops, assistance in sharing experience in the field of fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism.