DUSHANBE, November 8, 2011, Asia-Plus — The prime ministers from member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) signed a joint communiqué and several joint documents at their meeting in St. Petersburg on November 7, Tajik Rime Minister’s Secretariat reports.
The documents signed in St. Petersburg include the SCO Secretariat’s report reviewing multilateral trade and economic cooperation, a list of measures designed to further project activities, a financial report on the implementation of the SCO budget in 2010, the Organization’s budget for 2012, redistribution of cost estimates for the SCO Secretariat and the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure.
In addition, the prime ministers amended the provisions on salaries, guarantees and compensation to the staff members of the standing bodies of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and signed a medium-term strategy for further development of the SCO inter-bank association in 2012-2016.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin noted that member nations should work together to make the group a leading force in the world economy and international security.
Russia’s news agency, Itar-Tass, reports Putin noted that Russia is ready to invest some 500 million U.S. dollars in the Central Asia South Asia Electricity Trade and Transmission Project (CASA 1000).
We will recall that CASA-1000 project will transmit 1000 MW of surplus electricity from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan with power transit through Afghanistan. The total length of transmission line is 750 kilometers.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization brings together China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Mongolia, India, Iran, and Pakistan have official observer status and are seeking to join. Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Belarus, and Sri Lanka also have formal links to the Shanghai group.
