DUSHANBE, July 25, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- A regular meeting of the council of foreign ministers of member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) opened in the governmental out-of-town residence Pugus in the Varzob district today.  At first, the SCO foreign ministers met in a narrow format, then the ministers from the SCO observer nations and guests joined the meeting in an enlarged format.

Speaking at the meeting, the SCO Secretary General Bolat Nurgaliyev told those present about the multisectoral activity of the organization from November 2007 to July 2008 to implement different resolutions.   

Nurgaliyev stressed that no one agreement signed within the organization should remain unimplemented.  “However, if consensus is not reached it will be better to remove the issue from the agenda and solve it later,” the secretary general said  

The meeting discussed issues related to cooperation of the SCO with organizations such as CIS, Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC) and other regional and international organizations. 

A special attention was paid to the policy of openness and expansion of economic cooperation.

The meeting participants also discussed the latest developments in Afghanistan.

The meeting is expected to result in signing of a package of documents.