DUSHANBE, September 14, Asia-Plus - Prime ministers form member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) are arriving in Dushanbe today to attend the fifth session of the council of SCO heads of government that will be held in the Tajik capital tomorrow.   

A source in the government said the meeting is aiming to consider state and prospects of further expansion of economic, trade and humanitarian cooperation between the SCO states.  Participants at the meeting also will discuss issues related to transit cargo shipments and simplification of customs procedures.  The SCO prime ministers are also supposed to touch upon the issues of interaction in fighting terrorism and drug trafficking, as well as border issues.

The meeting in Dushanbe is also expected to focus on cooperation within the Organization in the fields such as healthcare, education, and development of tourism and relevant industries.   

Adoption of the SCO budget for 2007 and discussion of intensification of a role of the SCO Business Council and Inter-bank Association are also on the meeting’s agenda.  

The SCO prime ministers’ session in Dushanbe is supposed to end with signing of a joint communiqu? and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on speeding up workout of a draft agreement on creation of favorable conditions for international vehicular transportation.

Prime ministers of China (Wen Jiabao), Kazakhstan (Daniyal Akhmetov), Kyrgyzstan (Felix Kulov), Russia (Mikhail Fradkov), Tajikistan (Oqil Oqilov), and Uzbekistan (Shavkat Mirziyayev) will take part in the session’s work.  It is expected that before the meeting President Emomali Rahmonov will receive them.