SCO leaders conclude summit with calls for enhanced cooperation to tackle regional, int'l issues

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YEKATERINBURG, Russia, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) concluded their annual summit on Tuesday with calls for constructive dialogues and enhanced cooperation to tackle regional and international issues.

The leaders exchanged views in depth on a wide range of regional and international issues, said a joint communique released after the summit.

The summit was attended by heads of state of SCO member countries -- China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and leaders of SCO observer nations -- Mongolia, India, Pakistan and Iran.

Also present at the meeting were Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan, a guest country of the SCO, and representatives of the United Nations and some other regional and international organizations.

This was the first time that leaders from observer states were included in a restricted meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council.

The SCO leaders called for the establishment of a more just and rational system of inter-governmental relations, and set the priorities for future cooperation, the document said.

In a declaration adopted following the summit, the leaders said that regional cooperation is playing an increasingly important role in solving international issues.

The leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states and observer nations have a group photo taken with the leader of Afghanistan, a guest country of the SCO, in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on June 16, 2009.  (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)