Gen. Rawat is on a two-day visit to Russia and he attended the conference of the Chiefs of General Staff of the SCO member states in Orenburg

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat has witnessed a multi-nation counter-terror exercise in Russia's Orenburg region that has been organised under the aegis of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

India has sent a team of 200 personnel for the nearly-two-week-long "Exercise Peaceful Mission" that began on September 13. Gen. Rawat is on a two-day visit to Russia and he attended the conference of the Chiefs of General Staff of the SCO member states in Orenburg.

"General Bipin Rawat #CDS witnessed the final validation exercise of Multi Nation Exercise #PeacefulMission2021 of #SCO Nations at Orenburg," the Army said in a tweet.

The exercise provided an opportunity to the armed forces of the SCO nations to train in counter-terrorism operations in an urban scenario in a multinational and joint environment, officials said.

The scope of the exercise included professional interaction, mutual understanding of drills and procedures, establishment of joint command-and-control structures and elimination of terrorist threats, they added.

The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations.

India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.

India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping, which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.

Until now, there was no automated way to buy crypto-currencies, he said.

"You had to do it peer-to-peer, look for someone who ... was willing to do it, meet in person and carry X amount of cash, which is very inconvenient and dangerous given the environment in Honduras," he said. On Friday, one ethereum was trading at $3,237, and bitcoin; $48,140. If the service is popular, Mayen said he hoped to install more units.

To make a purchase, users have to scan official identification and input personal data such as a phone number. Many software developers in Honduras are already paid in cryptocurrencies, Mayen said, adding that it will also be a cheaper option to send remittances.

In 2020, Hondurans living abroad - mainly the United States - sent $5.7 billion, about 20% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), in remittances.

The Congress of El Salvador approved in June a proposal by President Nayib Bukele to make the country the first in the world to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender.

Elsewhere in the region, lawmakers presented draft bills in Panama that regulate the use of bitcoin and its status as a legal tender.