MOSCOW, February 18 (RIA Novosti) - At its plenary session on Wednesday the State Duma is to consider the issue of ratification of an agreement between member-states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on the creation of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure. Such decision was taken the day before by the Council of the lower house of the Russian parliament.
According to chairman of the State Duma committee on international affairs Konstantin Kosachev, the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure is "a unique and new experience of creating a supra-national formation in the sphere of combating terrorism.
Kosachev said that Russia was the last of the SCO member-states to ratify this agreement which was signed more than a year ago.
The funds for setting up organizations of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure will be disbursed from the SCO's budget.
The decision on the creation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was taken at the summit on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai. The Organization includes six countries: Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
