DUSHANBE, August 18, 2008, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan’s law enforcement authorities have tightened security measures ahead of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) due on August 28, according to the Ministry of Interior.
The source at a MoI said that all Tajik police officers have been on a state of alert since today and the number of police officers patrolling streets in Dushanbe will increase several times.
“During the summit and official visits of a number of presidents to Tajikistan, traffic along the main streets of Dushanbe will be limited and drivers will be notified about that via media in advance,” the source said, noting that more than 5,000 people, including members of official delegations and media, are expected to arrive in Dushanbe on occasion of the summit.
The SCO summit will be held in Dushanbe on August 28. The SCO member nations are China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan have a status of observer at the organization. Presidents of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan have also been invited to attend the summit.
Besides, official visits of the Russian and Chinese presidents will be held on sidelines of the summit. The official visit of the Chinese President Hu Jintao will be held on August 27 and the official visit of the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will be held on August 29.
