SCO Summit Opens in China’s Qingdao
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit kicked off in the Chinese city of Qingdao.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are among the leaders attending the summit. President Hassan Rouhani from Iran, an observer state, is also participating, NHK World news website reported on Sunday.
During the summit, SCO countries are expected to ink a batch of documents on customs cooperation, trade, agriculture, tourism and environment. The leaders are also supposed to focus on the issues of global trade and counterterrorism.
The leaders will discuss anti-terrorism measures and other regional security cooperation and will also express their support for the Iran nuclear deal, from which the United States recently pulled out.
Multilateral trade systems and China's "Belt and Road" initiative are also on the agenda.
The leaders are also expected to exchange views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula ahead of the US-North Korea summit planned for June 12th.
The SCO last year formally approved membership for India and Pakistan. The total population of the alliance's member states now exceeds 3 billion.
The SCO was formed in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to curb extremism in the region and enhance border security.
The intergovernmental organization seeks to strengthen mutual trust and good-neighborly ties between the member countries, contribute to regional stability and facilitate cooperation in different sectors, including political, trade, economic and energy issues.
The SCO counts four observer states, namely Iran, Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia. It has six dialogue partners, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka.
