Backgrounder: A brief history of SCO summits
Updated: 2014-09-12 20:19
(Xinhua)
Comments Print Mail Large Medium SmallBEIJING - Heads of state of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members are to wrap up their two-day 14th summit in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe on Friday after discussing regional security, economic cooperation and other world and regional issues of common concern.
The leaders will sign the Dushanbe Declaration, approve a series of documents on SCO expansion, and pass a resolution on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
An agreement on the facilitation of international road transport among SCO member states is also to be signed.
Over the last 13 years, the SCO has become a strategic pillar for the region to safeguard security and develop economy as a whole, yielding fruitful results in various aspects.
The following is a brief history of the SCO summits.
June 14-15, 2001 -- Presidents of the member states of the "Shanghai Five" -- China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan -- met for their sixth summit in Shanghai and announced Uzbekistan's accession into the organization.
The six heads of states held the first SCO summit on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai and signed the Declaration of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, officially inaugurating the SCO.
June 7, 2002 -- The second SCO summit opened in Russia's second largest city of St. Petersburg. The leaders of the six countries signed the Charter of the SCO to define the organization's development goals and institutionalize cooperation among member states.
May 29, 2003 -- The leaders of the six SCO member states held their third summit in Moscow to discuss ways of meeting challenges and strengthening cooperation.
At the summit, the leaders reached consensus on the institutionalization of the SCO and on some major international issues.
The summit also approved the appointment of then Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Deguang as the SCO's first secretary-general.
June 17, 2004 -- The fourth summit meeting of the SCO took place in the Uzbek capital city of Tashkent.
During the summit, the presidents of the six SCO member states -- China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan -- formally launched the Regional Anti-terrorist Structure of the SCO, and pledged in a joint declaration to cooperate in fighting terrorism and coping with new security threats and in strengthening their economic and trade ties.
During the summit, Mongolia was granted SCO observer status.
July 5, 2005 -- The leaders of the SCO held their fifth summit in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, to discuss measures to strengthen unity and further cooperation in economy, security and humanistic affairs.
Then Chinese President Hu Jintao delivered an important speech at the summit.
The leaders agreed to grant SCO observer status to India, Iran and Pakistan. At the end of the summit, the heads of state issued a declaration on strengthening cooperation within the organization.
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