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Interview: SCO among top global organizations: Kyrgyz minister

Xinhua, May 26, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has proved to be one of the strongest and most promising organizations in the world, Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Economy Arzybek Kozhoshev said Thursday.

Speaking in an interview with Xinhua, Kozhoshev said the accession of Pakistan and India to the organization will be among the key issues to be discussed at the upcoming SCO Summit, which is slated to open on June 23 in Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent.

The combined total population of SCO members will soon be more than half of the global population, he said.

The minister said that he hopes to see the economic component of the SCO prevail and that the economic integration of the SCO countries will be deepened.

"In particular, a couple of months ago, we discussed in Moscow the issue of a free trade zone between China and the Eurasian Economic Union countries. I think there are very good prospects," Kozhoshev said.

He also applauded China's role in the SCO and voiced support for the Belt and Road Initiative advocated by China, saying that the initiative is an effort to bridge East and West.

The Belt and Road Initiative is an international development initiative proposed by China to increase connectivity and boost cooperation among countries along the routes of the ancient Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road. Kyrgyzstan is on the ancient Silk Road.

The SCO groups China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Belarus, Mongolia, India, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan currently have observer status. Endi