The 17th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member nations is taking place in Dushanbe today.  The meeting has started in a restricted format and will continue in an extended format.  

Trade and economic cooperation, regional economic and trade contacts as well as humanitarian and cultural projects within the framework of the SCO have been tabled to the meeting’s agenda.

The meeting participants are discussing prospects for the further development of the SCO as well as issues related to strengthening cooperation in such fields as trade, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges to advance SCO practical cooperation in all areas.

The leaders, in particular, are also discussing elaboration of concerted approach to the issues of providing security and sustainable development within the SCO area of responsibility.   

They will also exchange in-depth views on current international and regional issues of mutual interest.

The meeting is expected to release a joint statement, speaking with one voice on major international and regional issues. Cooperation documents are also expected to be signed.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation creation of which was proclaimed on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai (China).

The SCO’s member states are China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan, and Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia as observers countries.

The main goals of the SCO are strengthening mutual confidence and good-neighbourly relations among the member countries; promoting effective cooperation in politics, trade, economy, science, technology, and culture; making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region, moving towards the establishment of a new, democratic, just and rational political and economic international order.

The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the highest decision-making body in the SCO, which meets once every year. The Heads of Government Council (HGC) also meets once every year.

The Organisation has two permanent bodies – the Secretariat in Beijing and the Regional Counter-Terrorism Structure (RCTS) in Tashkent. SCO Secretary-General and RCTS Executive Committee Director are appointed by the HSC for a period of three years.

The SCO’s official languages are Russian and Chinese.

The SCO member states occupy a territory of 30.2 million square kilometres, which makes up three fifths of the Eurasian continent, and have a population of 1.5 billion, which makes up a quarter of the planet’s population.