SCO Meeting of 23 September 2004

From: RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 183, Part I, 24 September 2004

SHANGHAI ORGANIZATION PREMIERS MEET IN KYRGYZSTAN. The prime ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states met in Bishkek on 23 September to discuss economic and security cooperation, akipress.org reported. They signed a joint communique and several agreements on the SCO's 2005 budget. Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said that SCO economic cooperation will focus on the transportation, telecommunications, energy, and agricultural sectors, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov and Kyrgyz Prime Minister Nikolai Tanaev stressed the importance of increasing cultural ties as well, Kabar news agency reported. The SCO member states are China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Tajikistan and Uzbekistan sent deputy prime ministers to the meeting.