Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin has reportedly informed Russian President Vladimir Putin of priorities of his chairmanship in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Foreign Ministers (SCO-CFM).
On Wednesday September 9, Russian President Putin welcomed all the SCO foreign ministers during a video-link meeting in Moscow. Foreign Minister Muhriddin was among the participants of the meeting.
As the upcoming rotating chairman of the SCO-CFM, Sirojiddin Muhriddin delivered a statement during the meeting, according to the Tajik MFA information department.
Tajik foreign minister, in particular, noted that despite the novel coronavirus pandemic, Russia’s chairmanship in the SCO-CFM this year has ensured an effective interaction in the framework o the Organization that has allowed “achieving practical results in the implementation of tasks set by SCO heads of state in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek in 2019.”
Muhriddin also informed Russian leader of priorities of his chairmanship in SCO-CFM. Expansion of economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation between the SCO member nations, improvement of the legal foundation and raising the image of the SCO in the international arena are among the priorities of Tajikistan’s rotating SCO chairmanship in 2021.
The SCO-CFM is the highest forum of SCO after the Council of Heads of State (CHS) and the Council of Heads of Government (CHG). It deliberates on important regional and international issues and considers documents for approval and adoption by the Council of Heads of State.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was founded at a Summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization currently has eight full members — China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia are four observer states, and SCO’s dialogue partners include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey. ACEAN, CIS, Turkmenistan and the United Nations are guest attendances.
The SCO now represents around 42% of the world’s population, 22% of its land area and around 20% of GDP.
