The meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the establishment took place in Dushanbe in the Kohi Navruz complex today.

The summit was chaired by President Emomali Rahmon and was attended by the heads of SCO member states, including the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the heads of SCO observer states President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

The leaders of Russia Vladimir Putin, China Xi Jinping, India Nerendra Modi, and Mongolia Uhnaagiin Khurelsukh participated online.

The summit was also attended by President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov who was invited as a guest of honor. SCO Secretary General Vladimir Norov and Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure Jumakhon Giyosovwere likewise present.

The declaration on the establishment of the SCO was signed in Shanghai in June 2001 by six countries, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In 2017, India and Pakistan were accepted as full-fledged members. Also participating in the organization are four observer countries (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six dialogue partners (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka).

The SCO summit looked back on the organization’s 20-year-history and consider its current cooperation agreements and prospects.

The discussion included the possibility of expanding the SCO membership, launch of the procedure of incorporating Iran as a ninth full-fledged member, and the granting of dialogue partners status to Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

The Dushanbe Declaration summarizing the results of SCO’s 20-year-long activity was adopted following the summit.