On 13 March 2018, the first session of the Expert Working Group at the SCO Defence Ministers Meeting opened in Moscow. In attendance is the delegation of the SCO Secretariat headed by Deputy Secretary-General Nurlan Akkoshkarov.
The agenda of the meeting includes promoting and developing the practical cooperation of the SCO member states' defence ministries to provide stability and security in the area of the SCO's responsibility.
The participants will also hold a detailed discussion of the current security situation in the region and the organisation of the next phase of the Peace Mission joint military counterterrorism exercises.
The Expert Working Group at the SCO Defence Ministers Meeting was established by the ministers' decision taken at their meeting in Astana in June 2017. The group's main task is to work on promoting and strengthening the cooperation of the SCO member states' defence ministries.