DUSHANBE, December 3, 3012, Asia-Plus — Tajik Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov will attend the next meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of the Heads of Government that will take place in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek from December 4-5.
A source in the Tajik government says the meeting in Bishkek is expected to discuss state and prospects of further expansion of economic and humanitarian cooperation between the SCO member nations.
The meeting participants will discuss cooperation between the SCO member nations in sectors like energy, agriculture, industry, health and emergency prevention activities, the source said, adding that the Bishkek meeting will result in signing of a number of cooperation agreements and a joint communiqué.
The Associated Press of Pakistan reports that Pakistan’s Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Qamar Zaman Kaira left for Bishkek on Monday to attend the meeting of the SCO Council of the Heads of Government. The Information Minister will address the meeting on December 5. Pakistan will reiterate its stance for permanent membership of SCO. Qamar Zaman Kaira hoped that Pakistan’s presence in the meeting will contribute and strengthen SCO’s endeavors for peace, security and harmony in the region, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
Meanwhile, the 11th SCO Ministerial Meeting on economy and trade was held in Bishkek on November 13, with the objective of advancing multilateral trade and expanding economic cooperation within the regional bloc. The meeting participants, including SCO Secretary General Muratbek Imanaliev and delegations from the bloc”s member nations, reportedly discussed a wide range of issues and agreed to a draft list of actions for further development within the SCO framework for 2012-2016, which has been submitted for approval to the next meeting of the SCO Council of the Heads of Government that is opening in the Kyrgyz capital tomorrow.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization or SCO is an intergovernmental mutual-security organization which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Except for Uzbekistan, the other countries had been members of the Shanghai Five, founded in 1996; after the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001, the members renamed the organization.
