DUSHANBE, June 30, 2008, Asia-Plus — Preparations for the next summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) were a focus of a meeting of President Emomali Rahmon with visiting SCO Secretary General Bolat Nurgaliyev in Dushanbe on June 28.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with President Rahmon, Nurgaliyev said that preparations for the summit are going on in accordance with schedule and all organizational issues will be solved by the summit.
On the documents to be singed by the SCO heads of state during the Dushanbe summit, he noted that they are still under coordination.
According to him, the SCO foreign ministers’ session that will be held in Dushanbe on July 25 will consider and make a final decision on documents to be discussed by state heads.
The Dushanbe summit will sum up the results of work having been carried since the previous Bishkek summit and set tasks for foreseeable and long-term future, Nurgaliyev said.
Asked bout the possibility of admission of Iran to the SCO, the SCO Secretary General said that that issue had not been discussed specifically during his meeting with President Rahmon. “We just exchanged views on philosophical approach to the issue of extending the number of member nations of the organization,” Nurgaliyev said.
“This issue may be solved only on the basis of consensus, by common consent of all member nations of the SCO agreement,” the SCO Secretary General said, noting decision on tabling or not tabling that issue to the summit’s agenda will be made on July 25, during the SCO foreign ministers’ session.
