International influence increasing

In recent years, the SCO has accepted Mongolia, Pakistan, Iran and India as observers, established contact group relation with Afghanistan and got observer status in the United Nations General Assembly.

The SCO has also stepped up cooperation with such organizations as the UN Economic and Social Council, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the ASEAN.

The 8th annual summit of the SCO will be held in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe on Aug. 28.

The summit is the most important event for the SCO this year, and is significant for safeguarding regional and international security and stability, maintaining lasting peace and promoting regional prosperity and harmony.

At the upcoming summit, heads of state of SCO member states will sign the Regulations on SCO Dialogue Partner Status, which will be another major step taken by the group in the field of foreign diplomacy since it established the observer mechanism in 2004 and will lay the foundation for the SCO to cooperate with more countries and international organizations.

"I hope that more countries and international organizations would establish close ties with the SCO," Rakhmon said.

"Tajikistan is fully confident in the broad prospects of the SCO," the president added.

(Xinhua News Agency August 28, 2008)