SCO leaders sign Yekaterinburg Declaration

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-06-16 16:55

YEKATERINBURG, Russia - Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) signed a series of documents here on Tuesday, including the Yekaterinburg Declaration, a joint communique, and documents on anti-terrorism, financial cooperation and Afghanistan.

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The documents were signed following the annual SCO summit, which was attended by heads of state of SCO member countries - China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and leaders of SCO observer nations - Mongolia, India, Pakistan and Iran.

Also present at the meeting were Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan, a guest country of the SCO, and representatives of the United Nations and some other regional and international organizations.

At the annual summit, the leaders will discuss important issues including how to tackle the international financial crisis and how to expand cooperation in political, economic, security and other areas among its member states.

"For the first time, the leaders of SCO member states and observers will hold a small-sized group meeting, which is a new measure taken by the SCO to strengthen substantial cooperation with its observers," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Li Hui told a press briefing last Tuesday.

He said that the summit aims to further implement the treaty of long-term neighborliness, friendship and cooperation between the SCO member states, boost regional cooperation in the sectors of politics, security, economy, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, work together to tackle the global financial and economic crisis, and promote an early economic recovery in the region.

In recent years, the SCO has played increasingly important role in maintaining regional security and economic development.

 
 
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