DUSHANBE, June 15, Asia-Plus -- On June 16, on return from Shanghai President Rahmonov will leave for Kazakhstan to attend the second summit of the Conference on Cooperation and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CCCBMA), which opens in the Kazakh city of Almaty on June 17, according to information from the president’s office.   

The summit is aiming to consider the issue of admitting South Korea to the CCCB.  Besides, participants at the meeting will discuss issues related to expansion of cooperation between the countries of the region in the fields of economics, trade, transportation, security, etc.  The CCCMBA Secretariat with its headquarters in Almaty will be opened within the framework of this organization.  The Secretariat is supposed to provide administrative, organizational and technical support for the CCCMBA activity.  The summit also has to elect the Secretariat Executive Director.  The Secretariat Executive Director is elected from among representatives from the country assuming chairmanship of the Conference for four years.  At present Kazakhstan has assumed chairmanship of the CCCMBA. 

At present the CCCMBA members are 17 countries, China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Iran, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Thailand.  Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Ukraine, the United States, Vietnam, as well as the United Nations, OSCE and the League of Arab States have observer status in the Conference.

Nine member nations of the Conference, including China, Russia, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Thailand and Uzbekistan, will be represented at the second summit by heads of state.  Israel, Mongolia and Turkey will be represented by deputy prime ministers.  

Participants at the summit are expected to sign a special declaration, which will reflect the Conference’s vision of key problems of security and cooperation in Asia and throughout the world, including reforming the United Nations, nonproliferation of mass destruction weapons, seeking settlement to regional conflicts, addressing modern challenges and threats, etc.     

Rahmonov is also supposed to hold bilateral meetings with the heads of state of other countries on the sidelines of the CCCBMA summit in Almaty.     

            We will recall that the first summit of the Conference on Cooperation and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia was held in Almaty on June 4, 2002. During the first summit it was noted that the CCCBMA could benefit from the experience of the CIS Collective Security Organization and of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).  Heads of state of 16 Asian countries attended the first summit of the CCCMBA in 2002.  The leaders signed an accord at the end of the summit, which included regulations, principles and commitments for establishing a comprehensive security mechanism.  The leaders also signed a “Declaration Aimed at Eradicating Terrorism and for Supporting a Dialogue between Civilizations.”