DUSHANBE, June 16, 2009, Asia-Plus — A summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is going on in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.
The SCO leaders held a smaller meeting on June 15. Present at the meeting were the leaders of the six SCO member nations — China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Regional security, economic cooperation and the ongoing global financial crisis were among topics of yesterday’s smaller meeting.
Today, the SCO leaders are holding a smaller meeting with the heads of state or government of the four SCO observer nations, including India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan. Afghan President Hamid Karzai is also attending the SCO summit.
Joint documents will be signed after today’s meetings, and there will be a press conference given by the leaders of the SCO.
According to some Russian media, the Yekaterinburg Declaration, which is the main document of the Yekaterinburg summit, in particular, gives assessment of the present international situation and points out irreversibility of the trend toward a real multi-polar world and rise in significance of the regional aspect in solution of the global problems. The document also underlines the importance of strengthening of legal foundations of international relations and rise in coordinating role of the United Nations in world affairs, confirms adherence to principles of maintenance of peace on terms of equal security for all states and settlement of regional and international conflicts through political and diplomatic measures, Vesti.ru quoted Sergey Prikhodko, an aide to the Russian president, as saying.
A joint communiqué will also be signed after today’s meetings. This document determines practical steps toward development of cooperation within the framework of the SCO in specific directions.
The SCO leaders will also signed the SCO convention against terrorism. This document will promote development of legal foundation of the Organization with regard to call of the times and changing specificity of new challenges and threats.
Regulations on political and diplomatic measures and mechanisms of the SCO’s response to the situation posing threat to peace, security and stability in the region will also be of great significance for coordination of positions and actions of member nations of the group in case of emergency, Prikhodko said.
Besides, Belarus and Sri Lanka are supposed to be granted partner dialogue status.
