SCO diplomats sign action plan on strategy towards 2025

TASHKENT (AA) - The meeting of the Foreign Ministers Council of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) ended Tuesday in Uzbekistan's capital, Tashkent.

At the meeting, top diplomats from Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan discussed relations and cooperation between the member countries as well as current and regional issues.

They also talked about the upcoming SCO summit set for June 23-24 in Tashkent.

The foreign ministers signed an action plan about the organization's development strategy towards 2025 and a Tashkent Declaration.

After the meeting, SCO term chairman Abdulaziz Kamilov told reporters that the bloc agreed to take measures against terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking, organized crime, and human and arms smuggling.

Attending the meeting were Russian FM Sergey Lavrov, Kazakh FM Erlan Idrisov, Chinese FM Wang Yi, Kyrgyz FM Erlan Abdyldaev, Tajik FM Sirojiddin Aslov, and Uzbek FM Abdulaziz Kamilov, as well as SCO Secretary-General Rashid Alimov and Evgeniy Sysoyev, head of the Executive Committee of the SCO's Regional Counter-Terrorism Structure.

The SCO was founded in 1996 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Uzbekistan joined the group in 2001. Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia, and Pakistan have observer-nation status, while Belarus, Turkey, and Sri Lanka have dialogue partner status.