BISHKEK, November 3. /TASS/. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who arrived to Kyrgyzstan yesterday with a working visit, will take part in the session of the Council of heads of governments of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries in Bishkek on Thursday.
Summit program
The summit opened on Wednesday with an unofficial dinner for the heads of delegations. Among events planned for today is the session of the Council of heads of government in the narrow and extended formats.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Prikhodko told journalists that among participants in the summit will be the prime ministers of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan; acting prime minister of Kyrgyzstan; and first deputy prime minister of Uzbekistan.
On behalf of SCO observer countries, the prime ministers of Afghanistan and Belarus will attend the session, along with representatives of other countries. The Russian delegation includes deputy ministers of economic development, education, foreign affairs, transport, and finance.
Topics and main documents
"At the session, the main focus will be on prospects for developing economic cooperation between SCO member countries," the Russian government said. "The heads of governments will consider the progress in implementing the program of multilateral trade and economic cooperation between SCO member countries." Among other events on the agenda are discussions of further development of organization’s project activities in 2012-2016.
"It is planned to approve the organization’s budget for 2017. A list of events for 2017-2021 is also being prepared," the Russian government said. "An agreement on establishing and operating the SCO University is also being prepared for signing," the government added.
Prikhodko told reporters that 10 documents are planned to be adopted at the end of the summit. Some of them are purely technical but others have significant importance, he noted adding that he is talking about the Concept of scientific and technical partnership and the Program of developing SCO roads. "(At the summit), we will talk about what is going on the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), share our assessments of the economic situation in the world and talk about how it will influence cooperation between SCO member countries," Prikhodko said. He added that issues of transport and fighting terrorism will also be discussed.
The summit in Bishkek will focus on prospects for and measures of expanding trade & economic and humanitarian cooperation between SCO member countries, implementation of the program of multilateral cooperation in 2012-2016, mechanisms of financial assistance to project activities in the framework of SCO, activities of the SCO Business Council, and the organization’s budget for 2017.
Meetings on sidelines of summit
On the sidelines of the summit, Medvedev will hold separate meetings with Kyrgyzstan’s President Almazbek Atambayev and Afghanistan’s Prime Minister Abdullah Abdullah. Other contacts are possible as well. The meeting with Atambayev will take place in the morning. "It is planned to discuss trade and economic ties, issues of Kyrgyzstan’s adaptation to membership in the Eurasian Economic Union, issues of Russian assistance to Kyrgyzstan, energy issues," Prikhodko said adding that Kyrgyzstan will also raise the question of migration at the meeting.
The meeting with the prime minister of Afghanistan is planned after the session of the Council of heads of government of SCO member countries. "Of course, it will be interesting to hear from our Afghan colleague his assessment of what is going on in Afghanistan, how they assess the situation in the country," Prikhodko said. The sides will also discuss trade and economic ties, humanitarian assistance to Kabul and the schedule of political contacts.
Prikhodko did not rule our possible contacts with the prime ministers of Tajikistan and Belarus.