DUSHANBE, December 2, 2013, Asia-Plus – Recently appointed Prime Minister Qohir Rasoulzoda represented Tajikistan at a session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of Government in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The 12th session of the SCO Council of Heads of Government that took place in the Uzbek capital from November 28 to November 29 discussed the Report of the SCO Secretariat on the progress of implementation of the Program for trade and economic cooperation between the SCO member nations and the Agreement between the governments of the SCO member nations on providing favorable conditions for international trucking.
The session participants reportedly also discussed energy and other areas of mutual cooperation.
According to Russian media sources, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev reiterated the need for an “energy club,” saying it could help develop cooperation on energy security and new projects among SCO member states.
Medvedev also called on SCO members to “double their efforts” to help Afghanistan revive its economy and social sector as international combat forces are preparing to leave the country by the end of next year.
The SCO institutions consist of two parts: the meeting mechanism and the permanent organs. The Council of Heads of Government is the second-highest council in the SCO after the Council of Heads of State, which is the top decision-making body in the organization. The Council of Heads of Government also holds annual summits, at which time members discuss issues of multilateral cooperation. The council also approves the organization”s budget.
The SCO institutions also include the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the Conference of Heads of Agencies, the Council of National Coordinators, the Secretariat and the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS).
In January 2004, the SCO officially launched the Secretariat as a standing executive organ in Beijing and the RATS as a permanent organ in Tashkent.
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.
At present, SCO cooperation has covered wide-ranging areas such as security, economy, transportation, culture, disaster relief and law enforcement, with security and economic cooperation being the priorities.
