DUSHANBE, June 7, 2015, Asia-Plus -- The senior representatives of the interior ministries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states gathered in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, on June 5 for a meeting on coordination of activities of the organization in fighting transnational crimes.

The meeting participants included Interior Ministers of Tajikistan (Ramazon Rahimzoda), Kazakhstan (Kulmukhanbet Kasymov), Kyrgyzstan (Melis Turganbayev), Russia (Vladimir Kolokoltsev) as well as Minister of Public Security of China Guo Shengkun and Deputy Interior Minister of Uzbekistan Bahodur Kurbanov.

Besides, SCO Secretary-General Dmitry Mezentsev, Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli, Afghan Interior Minister Nour ul-Haq Ulumi, Turkish Deputy Interior Minister Namik Demir as well as ambassadors of Belarus, India, Pakistan and some other officials attended the meeting.

Presided over by Tajik Interior Minister Ramazon Rahimzoda, the meeting discussed issues related to coordination of activities of the law enforcement agencies of the SCO member countries in combating transnational crimes and trafficking in weapons and drugs.

In a statement delivered at the meeting, Tajik interior minister, in particular, noted the SCO member nations could address challenges and threats posed to the contemporary world through unity and solidarity.

Founded by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on June 15, 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization.  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.

The Organization currently has six full members -- China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.  Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan are five observer states, and SCO’s dialogue partners include Belarus, Sri Lanka and Turkey.

The Organization’s six full members account for 60% of the land mass of Eurasia and its population is a quarter of the world''s population.  With observer states included, its affiliates account for about half of the world''s population.