SCO's anti-terrorism military drill to be transparent, open: Russian defense minister

The joint anti-terrorism military exercise by members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be transparent and open to the media and the public, said Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Ivanov in Beijing Wednesday.

Six members of the SCO agreed Wednesday to hold a joint anti-terrorism military drill next year in Russian territory, near the Ural mountain in an area close to Central Asia, said Ivanov at a press conference.

Air forces and precision-guided weapons would likely be used during the exercise, he said, after attending a meeting of defense ministers of the member states of the SCO held in Beijing.

Preparation for the drill has started and details will be made available to the media as soon as the work is done, he said, noting the exercise is "necessary and will be open and transparent".

The SCO is not a military alliance and the military drill is not aiming at a third party, said Ivanov. but the member states have the right to use collective force to deal with challenges and threats, he added.

The SCO, founded in Shanghai on June 15, 2001, aims to promote regional security and fight against terrorism. Its permanent members are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Source: Xinhua