Tashkent is hosting the session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). It is attended by the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan – Yerlan Idrissov, China – Wang Yi, Kyrgyzstan – Erlan Abdyldaev, Russia – Sergey Lavrov, Tajikistan – Sirozhiddin Aslov and Uzbekistan – Abdulaziz Kamilov, as well as SCO Secretary-General Rashid Alimov and Director of the Executive Committee of RATS SCO – Eugene Sysoev.
In the beginning of the meeting, the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov welcomed the guests in Tashkent, and briefed with the issues included in the agenda of the session.
During the session, the Ministers are to approve the draft agenda of the forthcoming summit of the SCO, as well as documents that will be submitted for signing to the heads of state.
During the meeting, special attention will be given to issues of further improvement of the SCO activity in the context of enlargement.
In addition, it will consider issues of strengthening stability and security in Central Asia, expansion of SCO contacts with other international structures and states, as well as the wider involvement of observer states in the SCO and dialogue partners of the SCO to practical cooperation within the organization.
The subject of discussion will also cover issues related to the maintenance of interstate dialogue, the tasks the SCO is facing in the field of strengthening peace, stability and security, ensuring sustainable development of member states of the SCO and making a joint effort to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism, as well as deepening cooperation in economic and cultural fields.