Putin: SCO ready to cooperate with any state

"There is no state the Shanghai Cooperation Organization cannot cooperate with in one or another form," President Vladimir Putin said in St.Petersburg at a summit of the SCO incorporating Russia, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

"There are no themes preventing the SCO from establishing and developing such cooperation," he continued, adding that the SCO members fully realize the complexity of tasks they set themselves.

We understand that much is yet to be done to launch a mechanism of joint action and we are doing everything possible to perform this task with a flourish and to turn the SCO into a dynamic, effective organization as soon as possible." Putin believes it is essential that the SCO, given its geographical expanse from the Baltics to the Pacific, play an active and inspiring role in world affairs.

"The strategic decision to set up the SCO was well-substantiated and consonant with vital interests of all the six countries," continued the president of Russia.

He pointed out that the documents signed in St.Petersburg - the SCO charter and agreement on a regional anti-terrorist authority - provide guidelines as to what the organization will be and how it will operate in the world of today.

Over the year that has passed since the first summit in Shanghai, the SCO members have confirmed their ability to develop and consolidate interaction in areas of mutual interest.

"We are prepared to search for points of affinity with respect for every state's opinion," said Putin. He asserts that the new organization enjoys mounting interest throughout the world.

In the opinion of Putin, the documents signed Friday, are of paramount significance for the development of the SCO as a system and for the further interaction of the countries integrated in it.

The SCO is no bloc or restricted community, according to Putin. "Its aims, principles and tasks of joint action are absolutely transparent."