More SCO News

Pakistan wants to join Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Thursday his country wanted to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

"This organization is of immense strategic importance," the prime minister said.

Pakistan, along with India, Iran, and Mongolia, currently hold observer status in the regional organization that comprises Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Aziz said the SCO was a venue for opinion exchange, which was extremely helpful for the participants. He said the organization's motto could be: "We will help each other help ourselves."

Aziz said that according to standard practice, Pakistan would remain an observer for some time before joining the SCO as a full member.

The premier said the organization was a useful economic, strategic, and diplomatic tool in combating terrorism. At the same time, he said the SCO did not address bilateral issues at the moment and did not play a role in the Pakistan-India settlement.

"The SCO mandate does not stipulate military cooperation on a multilateral basis," Aziz said. "However, some members are allowed to develop bilateral military cooperation and have done so."

He added that if the SCO conducted military exercises like those performed by Russia, China, and India recently, Pakistan would consider participating.

From here.


China wants to broaden SCO cooperation

China wants deeper cooperation between the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC), Chinese State Council Premier Wen Jiabao said during a meeting of the SCO prime ministers in Moscow Wednesday.

Wen said that it is necessary to establish links with other regional structures and financial institutions and China may develop joint projects with the Eurasec and other regional organizations. The premier said that the SCO is meant to effectively deliver regional security and guarantee the development of its members.

He said that work on improving customs regimes, general trade rules and road transportation, as well as trade in electronic goods, should be accelerated.

Wen said that within the framework of the organization, more attention should be paid to the development of regional agriculture, scientific research and the fight against transnational diseases in the area.

SCO cooperation on fighting terrorism was another major topic of the session.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov said the SCO is ready to cooperate with other international organizations on counter-terrorism and in other spheres.

"The SCO is open for contacts, we will use every opportunity we have to become a factor of cooperation in the fight against terror," Fradkov said Wednesday during a press conference following a session of SCO prime ministers.

The SCO is considering opportunities to establish security contacts with the OSCE and the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Fradkov said. "We are establishing contacts with the OSCE and the Collective Security Treaty Organization, we are currently on the stage of studying areas for cooperation."

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