DUSHANBE, February 10, 2010, Asia-Plus — The Center for Strategic Studies under the President of Tajikistan is expected to host the Fifth Forum of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in May this year, Sayfullo Safarov, deputy director of Tajik think tank, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.
According to him, representatives from institutes for strategic studies of member nations (China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) of the Organization will gather in the Tajik capital to discuss topical issues related to relations between the SCO member nations and prospects of further expansion of cooperation within the SCO area.
“In all, more than 50 people, including representatives from the SCO member nations, observer countries (India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan), dialogue partners (Belarus and Sri Lanka) and Afghanistan, which is part of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group, are expected to attend the forum,” Safarov said.
Besides, Tajik think tank also plans to hold an international conference entitled “Tajikistan in the System of Geopolitical Interests of Regional and World Power” in Dushanbe in March. The conference is expected to bring together experts from the CIS member nations and other countries.
The Forum is a multilateral, non-government, consultative-expert tool created for the assistance and scholarly support of SCO activities, and to develop cooperation between research and political science centers of SCO member states, conduct joint research on pressing questions within the Organization’s sphere of reference, articulate the tasks and principles of SCO activities, expand its ties to scholarly and social groups, as well as to encourage the exchange of opinions between scholars and experts in the fields of politics, security, economics, environment, new technologies, and in humanitarian and other areas. The Forum bases its activities on the principles of the SCO Charter, on the laws of SCO member states, and on its own Regulation. The Forum works in close cooperation with the SCO Secretariat, the Council of National Coordinators and the Foreign Ministries of member states.
The Forum was constituted on May 22-23, 2006 at a meeting held at the Moscow State University for International Relations. Each SCO member state uses its own criteria to designate one authoritative research institution to be included in the Forum’s structure. Those institutions hold the status of National Research Center of the SCO. At present, the following institutions have the status of National Research Center – Member of the SCO Forum:
