DUSHANBE, June 25, 2013, Asia-Plus -- Tajik Minister of Defense, Sherali Khairulloyev, will attend the next session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Defense Ministers that will take place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on June 26.

“While in Bishkek, Khairulloyev is also expected to hold a number of bilateral meetings,” Faridoun Mahmadaliyev, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense (MoD) of Tajikistan, told Asia-Plus in an interview.

According to Kyrgyz media sources, the meeting participants will include defense ministers from China (Chang Wanquan), Kazakhstan (Adilbek Jasybekov), Kyrgyzstan (Taalaibek Omuraliyev), Russia (Sergey Shoigu), Tajikistan (Sherali Khairulloyev), first deputy defense minister of Uzbekistan (Shavkat Normatov), as well as SCO Secretary-General Dmitry Mezentsev and Chairman of the Executive Committee of SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) Chzhan Sinfen.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization, which was founded on June 15, 2001 by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.  Except for Uzbekistan, the other countries had been members of the Shanghai Five; after the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001, the members renamed the organization.