Dushanbe is hosting a session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member nations today.
According to some sources, the meeting is discussing the achievements of the Organization as it celebrates the 20th Anniversary of its formation this year.
SCO foreign ministers will also assess the preparation for the upcoming SCO Council of Heads of State that will take place in Dushanbe from September 16-17 this year and exchange views on current international and regional issues.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was founded at a Summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It was preceded by the Shanghai Five mechanism.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization currently has eight full members — China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, India, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia are four observer states, and SCO’s dialogue partners include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey. ACEAN, CIS, Turkmenistan and the United Nations are guest attendances.
The SCO now represents around 42% of the world’s population, 22% of its land area and around 20% of GDP.
