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SCO leaders to discuss reaction to regional security, stability threats at Beijing summit

The summit will start with a narrow-circle meeting of the chiefs of SCO member states to discuss key aspects of the organization’s work

MOSCOW, June 3 (Itar-Tass) —— Presidents of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries will convene in Beijing on June 6-7 to approve a new edition of the Regulations for Political and Diplomatic Measures and SCO Reaction to Situations Endangering Regional Peace, Security and Stability, Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.

“This document broadens the range of rapid reaction instruments, including economic and humanitarian assistance, aid to the evacuation of citizens, familiarizing missions of the SCO, the exchange of current information and the deterrence of cyber-attacks,” he said.

The summit is also due to approve a program of cooperation in the suppression of terrorism, separatism and extremism in 2013-2015, which will include the deterrence of financing of these threats, he said.

All the SCO chiefs of state (Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) will attend the Beijing summit. Observer countries (India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan) will be represented on various levels. The presidents of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan and representatives of the UN, the CIS, the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) have been invited to attend the summit as guests.

The summit will start with a narrow-circle meeting of the chiefs of SCO member states to discuss key aspects of the organization’s work. The leaders of the observer countries and the summit guests will attend the plenary meeting.

The summit “will witness a detailed discussion of the SCO development in the context of global and regional affairs,” Ushakov said. “A central item on the agenda is security, which is the core activity of the SCO. There will be also an economic discussion with regard to energy, transport and high-tech projects. The Energy Club, whose formation is almost complete, will work for the common benefit.”

The summit will adopt several documents, among them fundamentals of the SCO medium-term development strategy and a declaration of building the region of lasting peace and prosperity, he said.

A number of organizational affairs will be tackled. For instance, the summit is expected to grant the observer status to Afghanistan and the partner status to Turkey.

“China will hand over its presidency in the SCO to Kyrgyzstan at the summit. Russia is ready to render full support to Kyrgyz partners in the accomplishment of this complex and responsible mission,” Ushakov said.

A new secretary general of the organization will be elected. “Hopefully, Russian representative [former Irkutsk Governor] Dmitry Mezentsev will take the post,” Ushakov said.

Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin will have two bilateral meetings on the summit sidelines. He will discuss the Iranian nuclear problem with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the situation in Afghanistan, especially the combating of the drug threat, with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.