From Xinhua:
The ongoing “Peace Mission 2007” anti-terror joint drill, sponsored by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), will target the “three evil forces” but will not push SCO into a military alliance, Chinese and Russian experts said on Saturday.
“To crack down on the ‘three evil forces’ – terrorism, separatism and extremism – is a key aspect of defense and security cooperation among SCO members and the joint exercise reflected its long-existing stance,” said Pan Guang, director of a Shanghai-based SCO study center.
“To enhance multilateral cooperation in a bid to maintain regional security and stability has been a priority in SCO cooperation since the organization was established in June 2001,” Pan said, noting the SCO has taken substantial steps in such fields as signing protocols and setting up anti-terrorism branches. [Full Text]
Read also A Different Anti-terrorism Military Drill by Chen Hu, A ‘Peace Mission’ Without the West? by Nikolas K. Gvosdev and “Peace Mission 2007 and the S.C.O. Summit” by Adam Wolfe.
