Taking part in the meeting were President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Chinese President Hu Jintao, President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan, President Askar Akayev of Kyrgyzstan and President Emomali Rakhmonov of Tajikistan.
The SCO leaders reviewed the process of the formation of the Organisation’s working mechanisms and the prospects for joint work in the fields of defence and security and the fight against terrorism, extremism, organised crime and drug trafficking. They also exchanged views on a wide range of international problems.
The heads of state elected Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Deguang as the First Executive Secretary of the SCO and approved the Organisation’s symbols.
Based on the results of the talks the Presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and China signed a declaration urging the need to work out and implement a new security concept based on trust, mutual benefit, equality and cooperation.
The SCO leaders stressed the importance of continued counter-terrorist activities in line with the norms and principles of international law, emphasising that the eradication of terrorism must not be seen as directed against any religion, individual countries or nationalities.
The declaration calls for broader international cooperation in counteracting the drug threat coming from Afghanistan and acquiring a global character.
Under the document the permanent organs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation – the Secretariat in Beijing and the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) headquartered in Bishkek are to start work not later than January 1, 2003.
In addition to the declaration the SCO heads of state approved a package of documents regulating the work of the organisation’s statutory bodies and its financial mechanism; the SCO financial charter, basically an agreement on the procedure of the formation and implementation of the budget; the regulations on the councils of heads of state, heads of government, foreign ministers, national coordinators, and the regulations on the SCO Secretariat; the statute on the meetings of departmental heads; the statute on permanent representatives of the member states at the SCO Secretariat and the regulations on the RATS headquarters.
After the signing of the joint documents Vladimir Putin, Hu Jintao, Nursultan Nazarbayev, Islam Karimov, Askar Akayev and Emomali Rakhmonov made statements for the press.
The Russian head of state expressed satisfaction with the results of the talks. He said that the Moscow meeting had made significant progress in forming the mechanisms of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which holds a promise that the organisational work will be completed next year.
Vladimir Putin described the SCO as an important factor of regional stability and said that all its member states were interested in promoting multi-lateral cooperation both in the traditional spheres and in such new areas as economics, science, education and environmental protection.
Speaking about the results of consultations on international problems, the Russian leader expressed the shared view of all the SCO heads of state regarding the role of the United Nations in the settlement of international conflicts and problems. There is no alternative to the UN as a universal organisation in the modern system of international relations. Therefore the role of that institution in ensuring global stability, law and order must be strengthened in every way, Vladimir Putin noted.