DUSHANBE, June 4, 2015, Asia-Plus – The foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member nations have reportedly drafted a series of cooperation agreements.
A meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the SCO member nations took place in Moscow on June 3 and according to Russian media sources, the foreign ministers prepared a series of draft agreements to coordinate the fight against terrorism and other measures.
The package reportedly includes deals on fighting terrorism and extremism during the period 2016 – 2018, combating drug trafficking, a statement concerning the 70th anniversary of the victory in World War II, as well as the SCO development strategy until 2025.
Meanwhile, the Tajik MFA information department reports that speaking at the meeting, Tajik Foreign Minister Sorjiddin Aslov outlined Tajikistan’s position on the key issues of “the country’s interaction within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.”
RIA Novosti reports that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters that the SCO foreign ministers agreed to set in train the process of SCO enlargement, accepting India and Pakistan as member states that currently hold the status of observers. He added that the ministers also agreed to raise the status of Iran in the organization once the issue of Tehran’s nuclear program has been settled.
All the documents worked out and discussed by the ministers are due to be signed during the SCO summit next month.
Russia holds the rotating presidency of the SCO in 2015, with a summit to be held in Ufa, the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, in July.
The SCO is a political, economic and military alliance, established in 2001. It comprises Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan have observer status, while Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka are dialogue partners.
The Council of Foreign Ministers holds regular meetings to discuss the current international situation and the SCO”s interaction with other international organizations.
