On 14 March 2019, SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov met with International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) Secretary-General Jurgen Stock on the sidelines of the ministerial segment of the 62nd session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs at the Headquarters of the UN Office at Vienna. Their first meeting took place in a friendly atmosphere. Mr Norov and Mr Stock informed each other about the activities of their organisations and exchanged opinions on opportunities for launching cooperation to maintain security in the SCO region.
Mr Norov thanked Mr Stock for attending and speaking at the high-level special event, "United Nations and SCO in the Fight Against Drugs: Cooperation for Strengthening International Drug Control," which took place in Vienna on 14 March 2019.
They agreed that cooperation between both organisations have great potential, including in the fight against terrorism, illegal drug trafficking and organised crime, as well as in efforts to ensure cybersecurity.
They also noted the productive cooperation between the SCO's Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) and Interpol under Programme Kalkan aimed to counter terrorism in the Central Asian region. Mr Stock said that Interpol is interested in cooperating with Central Asian countries, including through cooperation with the CIS, and it will continue to assist by providing the necessary operational information from the law enforcement agencies.
Mr Norov and Mr Stock exchanged opinions on the situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the Eurasian region. In this context, they emphasised the need for joint work to neutralise the growing threat of illicit drug trafficking, including through the creation of consultative venues under the auspices of the relevant regional and international organisations.
They agreed that the Dark Net is becoming a major threat among the younger generation. In this connection, they noted the need to jointly combat this threat.
Mr Stock suggested holding expert-level consultations between the SCO and Interpol in order to discuss the possibilities for cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
Interpol, which has 194 member-countries, is an international organisation that fights terrorism, illegal drug trafficking and the financing of terrorism. All SCO Member States and dialogue partners are Interpol members.
In 2014, the SCO's Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) and Interpol signed a memorandum of understanding. This document creates a legal framework for the exchange of analytical information on the fight against terrorism, as well as scientific, legal and methodological literature and research project results. RATS and Interpol cooperate for the purpose of assessing the actual situation in the sphere of regional terrorist activities and to help expose connections between organised crime and terrorism.