DUSHANBE, January 23, 2010, Asia-Plus – Muratbek Imanaliev, new Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization officially took office, People’s Daily newspaper reported.

The ex-Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan took the post of Bolat Nurgaliev.

Li Jinzhang, Vice Foreign Minister of China, welcomed the SCO Secretary General. “For ten years of its existence SCO is making efforts on providing regional security and stability, contributes to development and prosperity of the region,” the Vice Foreign Minister said.

“The organization has done an enormous and productive work on strengthening friendly ties between the member countries, i.e. jointly take up challenges and share opportunities for further development. China considers SCO as one of priorities in external policy of the country. China, as a country of SCO secretariat, is ready to render support to activity of the body and Muratbek Imanaliev,” the edition quoted as Li Jinzhang said.

The Shanghai Cooperation organization is a regional international organization which was founded in 2001 by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. SCO is mainly centered on its member nations'' security-related concerns, often describing the main threats it confronts as being terrorism, separatism, extremism and drug trafficking.