DUSHANBE, July 24, Asia-Plus — The main document that will be adopted at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Dushanbe will be a Dushanbe Declaration that will reflect views of member nations of the Organization on a role of the SCO in the modern international architecture and the Central Asian region, single approaches to arrangement of response to common challenges and threats, establishment of interaction with all interested states and international organizations in providing regional security and stability, expansion of mutually beneficial economic and humanitarian cooperation, Andrey Nesterenko, a spokesman for the Russian MFA, told Russia’s RIA Novosti on July 22, according to press release issued by the Russian Embassy in Dushanbe.
Nesterenko was cited as saying that a special attention will be paid to the Afghan problem with regard for drug and terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan’s territory.
According to him, the joint communiqué is also expected to assess the results of work carried out by the Organization last year, set new practical tasks on expansion of cooperation within the SCO.
On the SCO foreign ministers’ session that will be held in Dushanbe tomorrow, Nesterenko noted that they will discuss topical problems of international life as well as issues of strengthening security and stability in the region. They will also consider issues related to international contacts and expansion of the organization, proceeding from the principle of openness of the Organization for a wide mutually beneficial cooperation with interested counties and international organizations, according to him.
The ministers will also discuss the issue of getting observer states involved in practical interaction within the SCO as well as a progress of implementation of the Tashkent 2004 initiative on creation of a partnership network of multilateral associations in the Asian and Pacific region, the Russian MFA representative said.
The SCO foreign ministers’ session is planned to consider draft regulations on the status of partnership on the SCO dialogue that will be submitted for approval to the SCO summit. “Adoption of this document will promote formation of the structured system of the SCO foreign relations,” Nesterenko said.
