TASHKENT, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) vowed on Friday to raise the regional cooperation to a qualitatively new level.
The heads of state of the SCO signed the Tashkent Declaration of the 15th Anniversary of the SCO at the 16th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, a two-day summit in Tashkent.
The leaders noted that the SCO cooperation has produced fruitful results and that "all preconditions are in place now" to upgrade the cooperation, according to a report on the outcomes of the meeting.
The new level of cooperation will be "characterized by increasing the efficiency of cooperation in the spheres of politics, security, economy, development of cultural and humanitarian ties," said the report.
The leaders at the meeting also reaffirmed that the organization, currently grouping China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, is open for accession by interested states which meet the criteria and conditions.
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