DUSHANBE, may 14, 2011, Asia-Plus -- Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev received foreign ministers from member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on May 13, Kazakh media outlets report.   

Foreign Ministers Yang Jiechi of China, Ruslan Kazakbaev of Kyrgyzstan, Sergei Lavrov of Russia, Hamrokhon Zarifi of Tajikistan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Islamov,  SCO Secretary General Muratbek Imanaliev, Kazakh Security Council Secretary Kazakhstan Marat Tajin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Kazykhanov,  Assistant to the President of Kazakhstan for International Affairs Nurlan Yermekbayev and Director of the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO RATS) Dzhenisbek Dzhumanbekov attended the meeting.

The sides discussed the issues of holding the upcoming anniversary SCO Summit in Astana.

We will recall that a regular meeting of the Council of the SCO Foreign Ministers is being held in Almaty, Kazakhstan today.

Attendees are exchanging views on boosting practical cooperation among SCO member countries and major regional and international issues, and making preparation work for the upcoming SCO summit in June, the source said.

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization or SCO is an intergovernmental mutual-security organization which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.  Except for Uzbekistan, the other countries had been members of the Shanghai Five, founded in 1996; after the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001, the members renamed the organization.