SCO Foreign Ministers Council to hold key meeting on Ufa summit preparation

MOSCOW, June 3. /TASS/. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers is discussing on Wednesday the package of documents and decisions to be submitted to the SCO Heads of State at the organisation’s summit in Ufa in July. "The ministers will discuss the package documents and decisions to be submitted to the Heads of State for consideration," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The ministers will pay special attention to the SCO Development Strategy until 2025 that fixes the organisation’s work priorities and objectives. "In the conditions of turbulence in international relations and growing challenges and threats the task of ensuring security and stability in the SCO space remains a key priority in the organisation’s activity," the ministry said. The SCO states’ leaders will have to approve the Programme of Cooperation in the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism for 2016-2018, the Agreement on Cooperation on Border Issues, as well as the Statement of the Heads of State on the drug threat issue. "Among the considered decisions is the expected agreement on the launch of the SCO enlargement process," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. According to the ministry, to date, as many as 12 countries have declared readiness to participate in the organisation’s activities. SCO brings together the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan have the observer status in the organisation, and the SCO "dialogue partners" are Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka. India and Pakistan have applied for full SCO membership. Read more