MOSCOW, November 29, 2:53 /ITAR-TASS/. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will attend a session of the Council of the Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tashkent on Friday.
An RFgovernment staff source told Itar-Tass, "Those present will focus on matters aimed at depening cooperation in such fields as transport, trade, energy, telecommunications, science and technologies, health care, agriculture, and the prevention of and elimination of the aftermath of emergencies".
The session will be attended by the Prime Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as by representatives of Observer Countries (Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia, and Pakistan) and the leaders of the permanently functioning bodies of the SCO, the UN, and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
On the sidelines of the session in Tashkent, Medvedev is to hold bilateral meetings with the foreign chief delegates.
Those present at the session are to sign an Agreement among the governments on creating favourable conditions for international automobile transportation (a draft document to this effect was fixed at the SCO Transport Ministers' meeting on November 15).
Participants in the session are to discuss the state of affairs with the establishment within the SCO framework of an Energy Club -- an informal dialogue platform with the invitation of state-run organizations, business and scientific communities," the source said. "The Russian side suggested arranging the signing of an appropriate memorandum in Moscow on December 6," the source added.
Attention will be also devoted to the question of founding a Development Fund (Special Account) and an SCO Development Bank. Yet another theme will be how to enhance the role of the Business Council and the Interbank Association in the cooperation among the SCO member-states.
"When discussing humanitarian cooperation, Russia will reaffirm readiness to continue to take an active part in developing the SCO University project," the source said, recalling that as of now the organization, created on Russia's initiative, brings together 69 higher learning establishments.
A Joint Communique is to be signed as a result of the session.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgzstan, China, Russis, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are now SCO members. A Declaration on the founding of the Organization was signed by the leaders of these countries in Shanghai on June 15, 2001. Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia, and Pakistan have the status of Observers. Applications for the status of Observer were filed in 2012 by Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Belarus, and Sri Lanka. Besides, the status of SCO Dialogue Partner was granted to Belarus, Sri Lanka, and Turkey.