The top diplomats of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Saturday discussed ways to further promote regional cooperation and boost the group's international influence.
It is of great help to regional prosperity, stability and security that SCO member states deepen economic cooperation, expand trade and investment, and enhance collaboration in energy and other fields, the diplomats agreed during their regular meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers here.
The conference, convened to prepare for the annual SCO summit next month in the Uzbek capital, applauded efforts by member states since last year's meeting to strengthen cooperative relations under the framework of the SCO.
With maintaining the stability of Central Asia as a top priority, the council pledged to enhance cooperation in fighting terrorism, secession, extremism, drug trafficking and organized crime.
The meeting also expressed concern about the troublesome situation in Afghanistan, which is closely related to the stability and security of the entire Central Asia region.
The diplomats voiced support for the United Nations in leading international efforts to turn the war-torn country into a peaceful and stable one.
They also noted that Kyrgyzstan is undergoing a transition as its interim government tries to steer the country out of the chaos left by the ouster of former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and expressed willingness to offer assistance.
In a bid to further raise the SCO's status at the international level, the meeting proposed that the organization establish closer working relations and boost cooperation with the United Nations, ASEAN and other international organizations.
Meanwhile, the diplomats also stressed the need to fully explore the potential for cooperation with the SCO's observer states and dialogue partners. They hailed a tentative agreement on a mechanism for the SCO to admit new members. The measure needs the green light at the upcoming summit to become effective.
Founded in 2001 in Shanghai, the SCO groups China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, covering an area of more than 30 million square km with a population of about 1.5 billion. Since the SCO initiated an observer mechanism in 2004, Mongolia, Pakistan, Iran and India have become observer states of the bloc.
On the sidelines of Saturday's meeting, Uzbek President Islam Karimov met with the participating diplomats, including the SCO secretary general, a deputy foreign minister of Kyrgyzstan and the foreign ministers of other five member states.
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