Uzbekistan, Tashkent, June 8 / Trend D.Azizov /
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (SCO) upcoming summit in Tashkent will focus on traditional issues, including security in the region and the situation in Afghanistan, SCO Secretary General Muratbek Imanaliyev told journalists today.
"The summit will also address the situation in Kyrgyzstan, which is a sensitive issue for our organization, as the events occurred within a SCO member country," he said.
The summit will also accept new membership applications, Imanaliyev said.
He noted that Mongolia, Pakistan, Iran and India received observer status in 2004, while Belarus and Sri Lanka obtained the interlocutor status.
Imanaliev noted Uzbekistan's significant contribution as SCO president, and stressed President Islam Karimov's initiatives to develop cooperation between the organization's member countries.
The SCO's role as a credible international institution has been strengthened by the initiatives of its Uzbek partners, he said.
"The signing of a joint declaration on cooperation between the SCO and the U.N. April 5, 2010, in Tashkent, which outlined the basic principles of interaction between the two organizations and was initiated by Uzbekistan, is a good example of the president's active role," Imanaliyev said.