Stabilizing order core concern of members

TASHKENT - Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) have gathered for a summit in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, to discuss the situations in Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as to explore the possibility of expanding the bloc.

The meeting will focus on Afghan drug trafficking and restoring order in the troubled Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan, following the overthrow of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev in April.

The summit's agenda also includes the discussion of procedures for accepting new members to the bloc, which currently consists of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.